A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 
4 


^H^fTht  (hmJ. 


A   MEMORIAL  OK  >, 


AUG    15  19 


L^OGICAL   Si 


A  TRUE  LIFE 


A  Biography  of  ....  . 
Hugh  McAllister  Beaver 


ROBERT   E.   SPEER 


New  York      Chicago      Toronto 

Fleming     H.    Revell    Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1898 

by 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 


TO  HIS  MOTHER 


Preface 

When  Hugh  Beaver  died  suddenly  in  August, 
1897,  leaving  a  wide  circle  of  young  men  and 
women  whom  he  had  deeply  influenced  and  who 
loved  him,  it  was  felt  by  many  that  some  little 
memorial  should  be  prepared,  containing  a  few 
of  the  expressions  of  gratitude  and  evidences  of 
his  usefulness  which  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
land.  Believing,  however,  that  an  account  of 
Hugh's  growth  and  character  and  work  would 
be  helpful  to  many  who  would  feel  no  interest 
in  such  a  memorial  as  was  proposed,  1  offered  to 
prepare  instead  a  simple  biography  which,  while 
telling  more  to  his  friends  than  they  already 
knew,  might  also  set  before  those  who  never 
knew  Hugh  Beaver  himself,  the  story  of  his  life. 
I  knew  him  from  the  time  when  we  were  little 
boys  among  the  hills  of  Pennsylvania  and  can 
claim  at  least  a  sympathetic  understanding  of  the 
atmosphere  of  his  life  and  of  the  conditions  in 
which  his  character  was  shaped  and  his  work 
done.  There  has  been  no  other  such  life  as  his 
in  our  day.  There  may  have  been  other  repre- 
sentatives of  our  best  "College  Christianity"  as 
worthy  and  true,  but  their  lives  could  not  be 
7 


Preface 

made  available  for  the  young  men  and  young 
women  of  our  time  as  Hugh  Beaver's  can. 

This  Memorial  has  been  prepared  with  the  hope 
and  prayer  that  the  story  of  what  Hugh  was  and 
did  may  be  the  summons  to  many  of  these 
young  men  and  young  women  to  live  A  True 
Life. 

It  will  be  evident  to  the  reader  that  1  have  used 
the  material  available  with  a  freedom  that  pre- 
sumes upon  his  sympathy.  It  need  scarcely  be 
added  that  those  to  whom  Hugh  was  closest 
shrink  most  from  whatever  publicity  is  here  given 
to  them.  They  did  not  know  what  was  included 
in  Hugh's  papers  which  came  into  my  hands,  and 
for  the  use  of  their  letters  and  the  mention  of 
their  names  I  alone  am  responsible.  If  to  some 
it  may  seem  that  a  short  life  is  long  in  the  telling 
— I  have  written  not  for  the  stranger  only,  but  as 
a  friend  for  his  friends. 

R.  E.  S. 


Contents 

1  PACB 

Three  Typical  College  Men        .        .        .11 

II 

Ancestry  and  Home 24 

III 
Boyhood 4^ 

IV 

College  Life 7<^ 

V 

First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania     .     123 

VI 

A  Year  Among  the  Students  of  Pennsyl- 
vania     142 

VII 

Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania      .     184 


Contents 

PACB 

VIII 
Young  Men's  Conference  at  Northfield, 

1897 225 

IX 

Young  Women's  Conference  at  Northfield, 

1897 238 

X 

"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes  "     .        .    273 


10 


THREE  TYPICAL  COLLEGE  MEN 

And  there  is  no  knight  living  that  ought  for  to  give  unto  God  so  great 
thanks  as  ye;  for  He  hath  given  unto  you  beauty,  seemliness  and  great 
strength,  above  all  other  knights,  and  therefore  ye  are  the  more  beholding 
unto  God  than  any  other  man,  to  love  Him  and  to  dread  Him,  for  your 
strength  and  manhood  will  little  avail  you  and  God  be  against  you.— 
Malory's  King  Arthur. 

Each  generation  of  men  restates  the  Christian 
ideals.  The  qualities  of  character  which  were 
emphasized  by  our  fathers  are  viewed  perhaps  in 
a  different  proportion  by  us.  Honesty,  truthful- 
ness, integrity  abide  the  same,  but  the  metaphors 
under  which  the  Christian  life  is  set  forth  change, 
and  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  typical 
Christian  man  of  our  day  are  unlike  those  of  the 
typical  Christian  man  of  another  day.  Especially 
is  this  true  among  students.  In  the  last  twenty 
years  a  new  type  of  college  Christian  man  has  de- 
veloped, like  his  predecessor  in  sincerity,  straight- 
forwardness and  honor,  but  fonder  of  Paul's  mil- 
itary metaphors,  less  introspective,  more  joyful 
and  merry  even,  and  with  a  stronger  sense  of 
the  call  to  a  life  of  full  Christian  service,  because 
perhaps  more  aware  of  the  opportunities,  while 
scarcely  more  awed  by  the  responsibilities. 
11 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

James  Brainerd  Taylor  was  the  typical  college 
Christian  man  of  the  first  generation  of  the  cen- 
tury. A  great  deal  that  is  helpful  still  is  found 
in  the  quaint  Memoir  prepared  by  John  Holt 
Rice  and  Benjamin  Holt  Rice  and  in  the  anony- 
mous New  Tribute  to  the  Memory  of  James 
Brainerd  Taylor,  published  in  1838  by  John  S. 
Taylor,  Brick  Church  Chapel,  New  York  City. 
"To  a  fine  person,"  his  Memoir  concludes,  "a 
pleasant  countenance,  expressive  of  the  benevo- 
lence of  his  soul,  a  sweet,  yet  powerful  voice, 
and  a  cultivated  mind,  he  added  piety,  humility, 
zeal,  and  devotedness  to  his  profession,  such  as 
are  rarely  ever  observed  united  in  one  individual." 
Taylor  was  born  in  Middle-Haddam,  Connecticut, 
1801.  He  was  a  clerk  in  New  York  City  when 
in  May,  18 19,  a  friend  passing  his  door  invited 
him  to  go  down  to  the  wharf  "  to  see  Dr.  Scud- 
der  off"  to  India  as  a  missionary.  That  sight 
made  a  profound  impression  on  him.  "I  shall 
never  forget,"  he  wrote,  "  Doctor  Scudder's  looks 
or  his  words.  As  he  spoke,  his  eye  kindled,  and 
his  cheek  glowed  with  the  ardor  of  Christian 
benevolence.  He  waved  his  hand  and  with  a 
benignant  smile  on  his  countenance,  said,  'Only 
give  me  your  prayers,  and  that  is  all  I  ask.'  He 
is  gone  now — gone  never  to  see  his  friends  again 
in  this  world."  Again  he  writes,  "On  seeing  Doc- 
tor Scudder  take  his  last  leave  of  his  friends,  and 
12 


Three  Typical  College  Men 

of  the  people  on  shore,  with  a  true  missionary 
spirit,  I  felt  a  tenderness  toward  the  poor  hea- 
then to  whom  he  was  going  which  caused  my 
eyes  to  overflow.  I  thought  that  I  would  be 
willing  to  change  my  situation  for  his.  On  re- 
turning home  I  felt  that  I  could  not  attend  to 
business.  My  desire  was  to  spend  that  day  with 
the  Lord.  I  retired  for  prayer  and  found  the  ex- 
ercise sweet.  My  mind  was  impressed  with  the 
necessity  for  more  ministers  of  the  Gospel, — and 
many  reasons  presented  themselves  why  I  should 
devote  my  life  to  the  good  of  my  fellow  men  in 
that  situation."'  The  way  soon  opened  for  him 
to  prepare  himself  for  Christian  service  and  he 
spent  three  years  in  the  academy  at  Lawrence- 
ville.  New  Jersey,  and  then  entered  Princeton, 
being  admitted  to  the  sophomore  class.  The 
character  of  Taylor's  devotion  and  the  forms  of 
expression  of  the  Christian  experience  of  that 
day  are  illustrated  by  the  following  letter  written 
by  him  to  a  friend  toward  the  close  of  his  course 
at  Lawrenceville: 

"The  last  time  I  wrote,  you  recollect  the  state  of 
my  mind.  Since  then  the  Lord  has  been  better  than 
my  expectations.  I  have  had  some  precious  seasons. 
I  have  known  what  it  is  to  hold  communion  with  my 
heavenly  Father,  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
through  the  Eternal  Spirit.     My  closet  duties  have 

'  Rices'  Memoir  of  James  Brainerd  Taylor,  Second  Ed.,  New  York,  p.  17  f. 
13 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

afforded  my  highest  enjoyments;  not  always,  indeed, 
equally  great,  but  generally  delightful. 

"During  this  year  may  I,  and  may  you,  be  more 
than  every  engaged  in  the  Lord's  service.  I  am  de- 
sirous to  spend  and  be  spent  for  Him — to  live  the 
life  of  the  righteous.  But  we  may  not  live  to  see  its 
close.  This  morning  I  was  meditating  on  the  words 
in  Matt.  xxvi.  i8.  My  time  is  at  hand ;  and  I  thought 
that  if  it  should  be  the  Lord's  will  to  take  me  to 
Himself  this  year,  yea,  even  this  day,  I  should  rejoice 
at  my  departure.  The  grave  seemed  to  lose  its  ter- 
rors— heaven  and  its  glories  appeared  to  be  in  sight 
— my  soul  was  joyful.  O  to  live  religion — to  have 
heaven  in  view,  the  love  of  God  in  the  heart,  the 
world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil  under  one's  feet ! 
Then,  come  life,  come  death,  all,  all  \y\\\  be  well. 

"  O  my  friend,  I  am  tired  of  living  by  halves.  God 
says,  '  Son,  give  me  thy  heart.'  I  answer,  O  for  an 
entire  surrender — I  long  for  complete  deliverance 
from  remaining  corruption;  for  sanctification  in  soul, 
body  and  spirit ;  for  that  perfect  love  that  casteth  out 
all  fear — and  until  I  attain  this  I  shall  feel  that  I 
shall  be  unfit  to  be  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ."* 

In  Princeton  Taylor  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Philadelphian  Society,  out  of  which  grew  in 
time,  in  large  measure,  the  Intercollegiate  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association.  For  three  years  he 
lived  in  college  a  life  of  deep,  active  devotion. 
He  writes  in  his  diary  in  his  senior  year,  "The 
world  wanes — a  ii'hole  surrender  is  growing  in 
importance.     Lord,  did  not  I  make  that  surrender 

'  Rices'  Memoir  of  James  Brai'nerd  Taylor,  p.  74  f. 

14 


Three  Typical  College  Men 

to-day  ?  Keep  me — O  keep  me.  Have  I  sought 
the  honors  of  this  institution— or  of  the  literary 
society  with  which  I  am  connected?  Has  not 
my  desire  prevailed  for  the  honor  that  cometh 
from  above  ?  Shall  I  not  have  to  ascribe  much 
to  the  distinguishing  grace  of  God,  for  His  keep- 
ing and  blessing  me  in  this  college?  May  my 
ambition  be  to  fear,  love  and  serve  God  ;  let 
others  take  up  with  husks,  give  me  Christ."^ 
Later  he  writes  in  his  diary,  "I  have  been  think- 
ing to-day  upon  our  ships  of  war  as  spheres  of 
future  labor.  I  have  thought  of  them  before,  but 
to-day  with  some  desire,  if  God  will,  to  engage 
as  a  chaplain.  '  A  man's  heart  directeth  his  way, 
but  the  Lord  directeth  his  steps.'  May  I  be  a 
good  man  :  for  the  steps  of  a  good  man  are 
ordered  by  the  Lord."*  On  Sabbath  evening, 
April  9th,  1826,  he  was  reviewing  his  personal 
work  in  college  and  writes  in  his  diary,  "To  the 
institution  as  a  body,  I  have  done  but  little.  If 
it  was  my  duty,  I  have  not  done  it.  I  have  not 
gone  from  room  to  room  and  '  warned  every  man 
night  and  day  with  tears.'  Only  to  a  few  have  I 
been  personal  in  my  interviews.  ...  In  view 
of  this  subject,  and  some  others,  this  day 

"Resolved,  that  I  will,  the  Lord  being  my  helper, 
think,  speak  and  jr/ as  an  individual:  for  as  such 
I  must  live — as  such  I  must  die,   stand  before 

'  Rices'  Memoir,  p.  336,  °  Idem,  p.  336. 

15 


A  Memoruil  of  a  True  Life 

God,  be  judged,  be  damned  or  saved  forever  and 
ever.  1  have  been  waiting  for  others  to  go  for- 
ward. I  must  act  as  if  1  were  the  only  one  to 
act,  and  wait  no  longer.  .  .  .  With  increasing 
desire  1  long  to  enter  the  field,  to  lay  out  my 
strength  for  God."  ^ 

After  his  graduation  from  Princeton,  Taylor 
went  to  the  theological  school  at  New  Haven, 
but  his  health  failing,  took  a  trip  through  the 
Southern  States,  and  gaining  but  slightly,  decided 
to  spend  the  winter  of  1828- 1829  at  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary  in  Prince  Edward  County, 
Virginia,  where  he  passed  away  to  the  land  that 
after  all  is  not  far  off  and  to  the  King  in  His 
beauty  on  Sunday  evening,  March  29,  1829,  say- 
ing in  his  last  letter  in  the  quaint  language  of  his 
day,  "1  am  now  almost  helpless  and  worn  out, 
and  unless  there  be  a  change  soon,  this  '  mud- 
wall'd  cottage '  will  presently  fall  to  the  ground. 
.  .  .  You  may  rejoice  with  me,  in  that  I  rejoice 
in  the  Lord  always.  The  prospect  of  changing 
worlds  is  pleasant.  The  home  of  the  Holy  is  invit- 
ing. Farewell. "  He  was  a  true  man,  sombre,  zeal- 
ous, stern  of  judgment,  fearless  of  strong  words, 
loving  and  kind,  deeply  sensible  of  sin  and  of  his 
sin  and  solemnly  appreciative  of  the  sweet  mercy 
of  Christ,  type  of  what  was  best  in  the  college 
Christianity  of  a  generation  that  has  long  since 
passed  away. 

'  Rices'  Memoir,  p.  339  f. 

16 


Three  Typical  College  Men 

Of  the  highest  type  of  college  Christian  man  of 
the  generation  just  preceding  ours  there  is  no 
finer  example  than  Henry  Ward  Camp,  "The 
Knightly  Soldier,"  under  which  title  his  biography 
has  been  exquisitely  preserved  by  the  loving 
hand  of  his  friend  and  fellow  soldier,  H.  Clay 
Trumbull.  He  was  born  at  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, February  4,  1839.  Christian  experience 
was  becoming  less  sombre  than  it  had  been  in 
Taylor's  day,  but  there  was  in  Camp  perhaps  an 
even  more  delicate  sensitiveness  of  conscience. 
He  shrank  from  every  thought  of  evil.  When  he 
was  five  years  old  a  little  sister  was  born  in  his 
home.  "As  he  first  looked  at  the  baby  treasure 
with  childish  joy  and  wonderment,  a  shade  of 
thought  came  over  his  face,  and  he  went  alone 
from  his  mother's  room.  On  his  return,  his 
mother  asked  him  where  he  had  been.  '  I've 
been,  mama,'  he  said,  'to  pray  to  God  that  I 
may  never  hurt  the  soul  of  dear  little  sister.'  " ' 

Perhaps  Christian  life  was  running  deeper,  or 
perhaps  it  was  the  simple  modification  of  temper 
marking  a  new  generation,  but  Camp  seems  to 
have  found  expression  harder  than  it  appears  to 
have  been  to  Taylor.  In  a  charming  account  of 
child  life,  Beckonings  of  Little  Hands,  Mr.  Patter- 
son DuBois  tells  of  one  of  his  little  children  who 
had  a  strong  aversion  to  the  use  of  the  names  of 

»  Trumbull's  The  Knightly  Soldier,  Phila.  Ed.,  1892,  p.  4. 

17 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

God  and  Christ.  It  caused  some  distress  until 
after  the  child's  death  a  notebook  belonging  to 
him  was  found  in  which  he  had  printed  in  sprawl- 
ing baby  letters,  "  God  is  love.  He  loves  lambs." 
It  was  not  deficiency  of  experience.  It  was 
depth.  The  same  silent  reverence  marked  Henry 
Camp  as  a  child.  "  At  six  years  of  age  he  exer- 
cised himself  in  writing  a  little  book  of  sermons, 
taking  a  text,  and  making  on  it  brief  comments 
as  striking  and  original,  as  the  employment  was 
unique  for  a  boy  of  his  years.  In  looking  over 
the  manuscript,  his  good  mother  observed  fre- 
quent blanks  where  the  name  of  God  should  ap- 
pear. Inquiring  the  reason  of  these  omissions, 
Henry  informed  her  that  he  had  feared  he  was 
not  feeling  just  right  while  he  was  writing  and, 
lest  he  should  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain  by 
using  it  then,  he  had  left  the  blanks  in  its 
stead."  ^ 

From  ten  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
Camp  attended  the  Hartford  Public  High  School. 
He  was  a  thorough  athlete,  strong  and  compact, 
but  above  this  "there  was  a  charm  about  him 
even  then,"  said  one  of  his  teachers,  "which 
attracted  all  who  knew  him.  I  never  had  a  pupil 
who  possessed  a  finer  character,  or  more  com- 
pletely won  the  respect,  and  even  admiration,  of 
his    teachers.     He    despised    everything    mean, 

•  TrumbuU's  The  Knightly  Soldier,  Phila.  Ed.,  1892,  p.  4  f. 

18 


Three  Typical  College  Men 

everything  vulgar;  and  his  generosity  and  manli- 
ness in  his  intercourse  with  other  boys  made  him 
a  general  favorite  among  them.  He  was  remark- 
ably truthful  also,  and  this  never  from  a  fear  of 
consequences,  but  with  a  spontaneity  which 
showed  that  truth  was  at  the  foundation  of  his 
character.  As  a  scholar  he  was  very  faithful, 
accurate,  and  prompt  in  his  recitations;  especially 
copious  and  rich  in  his  choice  of  words;  of 
superior  talent  as  a  writer.  No  one  stood  above 
him  in  his  class;  and  he  took  some  prizes,  while 
in  the  school,  for  English  composition  and  other 
exercises.  But  it  was  chiefly  his  uncommon 
nobleness  of  character  which  made  him  con- 
spicuous then,  as  in  later  years."  ^ 

Camp  passed  his  examinations  for  Yale  in  1855, 
but  did  not  enter  until  September,  1856.  The 
next  spring  he  connected  himself  formally  with 
his  home  church  of  which  Dr.  Horace  Bushnell 
was  pastor.  "  He  was  such  a  man,"  said  Bush- 
nell, "  as  going  into  a  crowd  of  strangers,  would 
not  only  attract  general  attention  by  his  person, 
by  his  noble  tigure  and  the  fine  classic  cut  of  his 
features,  by  the  cool,  clear  beaming  of  his  intelli- 
gence, by  the  visible  repose  of  his  justice,  .by  a 
certain,  almost  superlative  sweetness  of  modesty; 
but  there  was,  above  all,  an  impression  of  intense 
PURITY  in   his  looks,  that  is  almost  never  seen 

•  TrumbuU's  The  Knightly  Soldier,  Phila.  Ed.,  1892,  p.  6  f. 
19 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

among  men,  and  which  everybody  must  and 
would  distinctly  feel." 

At  Yale,  Camp  at  once  took  a  leading  place, 
especially  in  athletics.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
University  crew  which  represented  Yale  at  the 
Worcester  regatta  on  Lake  Quinsigamond.  He 
rowed  number  three.  Joseph  H.  Twichell  of 
Hartford  rowed  number  four,  and  in  an  account  of 
the  two  races  with  Harvard  at  Worcester  which 
he  contributes  to  The  Knightly  Soldier  says  of 
Camp,  "I  well  remember,  while  in  college,  rid- 
ing out  one  day  with  a  classmate  of  his,  and 
passing  him,  as  erect  and  light  of  foot,  he  strode 
lustily  up  a  long  hill,  and  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  my  comrade  pronounced  this  eulogy, 
'There's  Henry  Camp,  a  perfect  man,  who  never 
did  anything  to  hurt  his  body  or  his  soul.'  .  .  . 
He  carried  all  his  grace  with  him  everywhere, 
and  had  a  way  of  shedding  it  on  every  minute  of 
an  hour, — no  less  on  little  matters  than  on  great, 
— that  gave  his  company  an  abiding  charm,  and 
his  influence  a  constant  working  power."* 

He  was  graduated  from  Yale  with  high  honors 
in  i860,  a  stronger  man  than  when  he  entered, 
but  as  modest,  true,  unspotted  and  unconscious 
of  his  nobleness  and  influence  as  four  years  be- 
fore. But  others  knew  him.  "  1  dare  say  he  had 
faults,"  said  one  of  his  classmates,  "but  I  never 

'  Trumbull's  The  Knightlji  Soldier,  pp.  15,  17. 

20 


Three  Typical  College  Men 

saw  them.  I  know  of  nothing  in  his  life  I  would 
correct."  Another  wrote,  "Of  his  Christian 
character  in  college,  little  can  be  said  that  is  not 
true  of  it  in  every  situation.  His  modesty  did 
not  obscure  it;  but  it  did  prevent  any  ostentatious 
display  of  it.  A  college  friend  on  terms  of  clos- 
est intimacy  writes  as  follows:  ' Those  who  saw 
his  heart  in  this  respect  will  cherish  the  revela- 
tions made  to  them  as  something  sacred.  I  know 
one  who  was  brought  to  Christ,  who,  had  it  not 
been  for  him,  for  his  Christian  character  as  re- 
vealed in  his  conversation,  and  for  the  sincerity 
and  whole-heartedness  of  his  trust  in  Christ, 
would  not,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  have  ever  been  a 
Christian.  Others  I  knew  who  were  influenced 
by  him  whom  he  did  not  know  or  dream  of — 
whom  he  knows  now.'"'^ 

After  his  graduation  Camp  taught  for  some 
months  and  then  took  up  the  study  of  law,  but 
on  December  5,  1861,  he  received  from  Governor 
Buckingham  a  commission  as  second  lieutenant 
in  the  Tenth  Regiment  of  Connecticut  Volunteer 
Infantry  and  went  off  to  the  war.  His  three 
years  of  service  led  him  through  experiences  at 
Roanoke,  New-Berne,  with  the  first  Charleston 
expedition,  at  James  Island,  Fort  Wagner, 
Charleston  Jail,  Libby  Prison  from  which  he  es- 
caped but  was  recaptured,  with  the  Army  of  the 

•TrumbuU's  The  Knightly  Soldier,  Phila.  Ed.  1892,  p.  31. 

21 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

James  and  in  the  Petersburg  Trenches,  and  then 
at  last,  on  October  13,  1864,  he  fell  before  Rich- 
mond, gloriously  leading  a  charge  in  which  he 
had  been  placed  in  the  second  line,  but  which  he 
believed  must  be  a  failure,  and  in  which  accord- 
ingly he  asked  to  be  placed  in  the  first  line,  where 
he  fell  riddled  with  bullets.  "All  of  us  who 
were  about  him,"  said  a  college  friend  of  him 
when  he  was  gone,  "  perceived  that  Henry  Camp 
was  a  Christian  who  followed  Christ.  All  things 
that  were  true,  honest,  just,  pure,  lovely,  of 
good  report,  shone  in  his  walk  and  conversation 
among  us."  A  life-size  portrait  of  him  was 
placed  in  Alumni  Hall,  at  Yale,  and  over  his  grave 
in  Hartford,  in  the  Cedar  Hill  Cemetery,  a  gran- 
ite and  bronze  monument  was  placed  bearing  the 
inscription  : 

HENRY  WARD  CAMP, 

Major  of  the  Tenth  Connecticut  Volunteers. 

Born  at  Hartford,  Conn., 

Feb,  4,    1839. 

Killed  in  battle,  before  Richmond,  Va., 

Oct.   13,   1864. 

"y4  true  knight: 
Not  yet  mature,  yet  matchless." 

Erected   by  his  fellow   citizens   of  Hartford,  as  a  tribute  to  his   patriotic 
services  and  to  his  noble  Christian  character. 

22 


Three  Typical  College  Men 

Another  generation  has  supplanted  the  last  and 
a  new  race  of  college  men  has  been  trained  for 
life's  service.  New  conditions  have  arisen.  A 
lighter  humor  perhaps  hides  a  deeper  sense  of 
the  awfulness  and  the  keener  stress  of  life.  New 
forms  of  speech  are  in  use.  New  branches  of 
Christian  activity  have  come  into  existence.  A 
new  type  of  college  Christian  man  has  been  de- 
veloped. Hugh  McAllister  Beaver  nobly  repre- 
sented it.  Joyful,  considerate,  gentle  as  a  maid 
and  as  affectionate,  with  rugged,  military  notions- 
of  Christ's  service,  playful,  yet  eaten  up  with  the 
zeal  of  the  Father's  house,  tender  toward  all  of 
the  erring,  yet  most  stern  toward  all  sin  and  im- 
purity, most  of  all  in  himself,  with  singular 
social  gifts  fitting  him  to  win  high  and  low,  ra- 
diant in  his  love  for  Christ  and  passionate  in  his 
desire  for  the  souls  of  men  and  women,  as  un- 
pretending as  he  was  simple  and  strong,  Hugh 
Beaver  laid  down  his  life  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four,  a  true  type  of  our  best  college  Christian 
life  as  Brainerd  Taylor  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
and  Henry  Camp  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  had 
been  representative  of  what  was  best  in  the  col- 
lege life  of  their  day.  Perhaps  it  may  be  believed 
that  this  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  Brainerd 
Taylor,  Henry  Camp  and  Hugh  Beaver  stand  for 
what  is  best  and  noblest  in  the  life  of  all  young 
men  in  the  century  that  is  now  drawing  to  its  close. 

23 


II 

ANCESTRY   AND   HOME 

"Beware  ye  be  not  defiled  with  shame,  treachery  or  guile."  "  Then  it 
will  not  avail,"  said  the  damsel ;  "  for  he  must  be  a  clean  knight,  without 
villainy,  and  of  gentle  stream  of  father's  side  and  mother's  side." — Mal- 
ory's King  Arthur.  ' 

These  friendly  fields    .     .     . 
Where  thou  with  grass  and  rivers  and  the  breeze, 
And  the  bright  face  of  day,  thy  dalliance  hadst ; 
Where  to  thine  ear  first  sang  the  enraptured  birds, 
and  from  the  eternal  shore 
Thou  hearest  airy  voices,  but  not  yet 
Depart,  my  soul,  not  yet  awhile. 

— Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  Underwoods. 

Hugh  McAllister  Beaver  was  born  in  Belle- 
fonte,  Pennsylvania,  March  29,  1873,  The  in- 
heritance that  came  down  to  him  from  his 
ancestry  brought  with  it  the  qualities  of  fearless- 
ness, simplicity,  adaptiveness,  winning  geniality 
which  marked  his  character  from  the  beginning. 
George  Beaver  came  to  America  about  1740  from 
Elsass,  in  the  great  emigration  of  Huguenots 
who  left  France  after  the  revocation  of  the  edict 
of  Nantes.  German  by  birth  and  race  but 
affected  by  the  touch  of  the  French  influence 
that  was  then  dominant  in  Elsass,  which  had 
been  torn  from  the  German  Empire,  George 
Beaver  left  his  home  for  a  faith  condemned  in 
34 


Ancestry  and  Home 

France,  and  founded  a  new  line  in  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
"a  man  of  fine  physique,  marvellous  endurance, 
strong  mind  and  untiring  industry."  Energetic- 
ally taking  up  agricultural  pursuits  he  set  about 
making  a  home.  He  took  his  part,  however,  in 
the  Indian  wars,  and  when  the  Revolution  came, 
his  eldest  son  George  enlisted  in  Captain  Church's 
company  of  Mad  Anthony  Wayne's  regiment. 
This  son  moved  after  the  war  to  Frankhn  County 
where  he  married  Catherine  Keifer,  the  sister  of 
an  army  comrade,  a  daughter  of  a  family  of 
"  hardy  pioneers  of  great  physical  development 
and  remarkable  mental  force." 

George's  son,  Peter  Beaver,  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  Hugh.  He  moved  from  Franklin 
County  to  the  County  of  Lebanon  among  the 
Pennsylvania  Dutch.  He  was  a  tanner  but  gave 
up  that  vocation  and  engaged  in  trading  while  he 
was  at  the  same  time  a  local  Methodist  preacher. 
Life  was  full  of  hard  struggle  in  these  early 
days,  but  Peter  Beaver  fought  fair,  was  a 
thoroughgoing  Christian,  a  man  of  deep  piety 
and  active  in  Christian  work.  He  was  made  a 
deacon,  March  4,  1809,  by  Frances  Asbury,  the 
first  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  America, 
and  the  parchment  certifying  to  this  appointment 
is  still  preserved.  A  year  later  he  was  appointed 
elder  by  Bishop  William  McKendree    and  for 

25 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Lite 

many  years  he  preached  without  financial  recom- 
pense in  the  counties  of  Dauphin,  Lebanon  and 
Berks. 

Six  sons  succeeded  Peter  Beaver  when  he 
passed  away.  One  became  a  prominent  iron 
master  and  two  others  served  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature. Jacob,  one  of  the  older  sons,  was  Hugh's 
grandfather.  He  was  born  in  Lebanon  County 
in  1803,  but  his  life  was  passed  in  Perry  County 
at  Millerstown.  The  Pennsylvania  Canal  had 
just  been  opened  and  he  soon  built  up  a  large 
business  on  the  canal,  including  the  shipment  of 
grain.  Here  Jacob  Beaver  married  Ann  Eliza 
Addams,  of  an  old  and  useful  Pennsylvania 
family,  one  of  whose  members  had  commanded 
one  of  the  two  brigades  of  Pennsylvania  mihtia 
ordered  to  rendezvous  at  York  during  the  war  of 
1812,  while  another  was  a  member  of  the  Nine- 
teenth and  Twentieth  Congresses.  Jacob  and  Ann 
had  four  children  of  whom  Hugh's  father,  James 
A.  Beaver  was  the  third  child,  and  first  son.  Jacob 
died  in  1840,  "leaving  a  young  family  to  be 
brought  up  by  the  mother,  a  good  woman  of 
noble  character  and  intellectual  vigor,  who  made 
herself  the  companion  of  her  children,  and  taught 
them  by  the  example  of  an  undeviating  Christian 
walk." ' 

Five  years  later  Ann  Beaver  married  the  Rev. 

'  Burr's  Lt/e  of  James  Addams  Beaver,  p.  17. 

26 


Ancestry  and  Home 

S.  H.  McDonald,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  the 
family  removed  to  Belleville,  Mifflin  County. 
Here  under  the  helpful  influence  of  his  step- 
father who  was  a  true  Christian  and  scholar  and 
of  his  mother  who  was  a  mother — which  makes 
all  adjectives  superfluous — Hugh's  father  seems 
to  have  grown  up  into  just  such  a  boy  as  Hugh 
was  himself, — "not  a  robust  boy,  but  he  took 
pleasure  in  outdoor  sports,  and  was  never  far 
behind  in  the  exploits  of  mischievous  fun  in 
which  the  schoolboy  heart  delights.  At  Millers- 
town,  as  through  his  whole  school  life,  he  was 
accounted  a  gentlemanly  boy,  of  high  principle 
and  disposed  to  peace."  When  he  was  fifteen 
James  Beaver  entered  the  Pine  Grove  Academy, 
and  two  years  later  the  junior  class  of  Jefferson  Col- 
lege at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  honor  in  1856.  "James  A. 
Beaver,  better  known  in  college  days  as  'Jim 
Beaver,'  was  a  little  bit  of  an  enthusiastic  fellow, 
full  of  fun  and  pluck  and  frolic,  who  never  did 
anything  bad  and  always  looked  glad,"  was  the 
way  a  college  classmate  described  him,  ^ 

After  leaving  college  James  Beaver  settled  at 
Bellefonte,  the  county  seat  of  Centre  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  entered  the  law  oifice  of  the 
Hon.  H.  N.  McAllister,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished lawyers  in  central  Pennsylvania.     He  had 

*  Burr's  Life  of  James  Addams  Beaver,  p.  20. 

27 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

barely  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  when  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Centre  County.  "  He 
was  so  thoroughly  grounded  in  the  principles  of 
the  law,  so  painstaking  in  his  work,  so  ready  in 
speech  and  forcible  in  argument  that  he  at  once 
made  an  impression  and  was  accounted  a  young 
lawyer  of  more  than  ordinary  promise,"  and  was 
taken  into  partnership  by  his  preceptor.  While 
preparing  for  the  bar  Beaver  joined  the  Beliefonte 
Fencibles  of  whom  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  the  famous 
war  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  was  captain.  He 
carefully  studied  tactics,  familiarized  himself  with 
a  soldier's  work  and  was  made  second  lieutenant 
of  the  company.  Here  the  civil  war  found  him 
and  the  voice  of  duty  called  him.  Two  letters 
which  he  wrote  to  his  mother  in  1861  will  help  to 
explain  the  character  of  his  son  Hugh. 

"Bellefonte,  January  nth,  1861. 
" My  dear  Mother: 

"The  Fencibles  decided  a  day  or  two  since 
to  attend  the  inauguration  of  Governor  Curtin  on  the 
15th.  So  my  hopes  of  staying  at  home  and  escaping 
the  crowds,  long  marches  and  tiresome  standups  are 
pretty  much  blasted.  You  will  see  in  your  Press  of 
this  week,  under  '  Extraordinary  War  Preparations,' 
that  we  may  have  a  longer  march  than  to  Harrisburg. 
Governor  Curtin  assures  me  that  if  a  requisition  is 
made  upon  this  state,  ours  will  be  the  first  company 
called  out.  Necessity  for  soldiers,  however,  is  grow- 
ing less  and  less,  so  that  our  chances  for  active  serv- 
28 


Ancestry  and  Home 

ice,  or  a  life  of  inglorious  ease  at  Washington,  are 
not  very  flattering. 

"  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  been  to  the  tele- 
graph office.  A  dispatch  from  Washington  says  that 
hostilities  have  actually  begun.  The  South  Carolin- 
ians fired  upon  'The  Star  of  the  West,'  which  con- 
tained supplies  for  Major  Anderson.  If  this  is  true, 
which  God  forbid,  war  has  actually  commenced. 
Where  will  be  the  end  ?  The  nation  must  be  pre- 
served. And  who  can  mistake  his  duty  in  this  emer- 
gency? I  have  prayed  for  direction,  guidance  and 
clear  revelations  of  duty,  and  I  cannot  now  doubt 
where  the  path  of  duty  lies.  If  required  I  will  march 
in  it,  trusting  in  God  for  the  result.  There  are  few 
men  situated  as  I  am.  No  person  dependent  upon 
me,  and  a  business  which  I  will  leave  in  able  hands. 
If  we  have  a  nationality,  it  must  be  continued,  sup- 
ported, upheld.  If  we  are  ordered  to  Washington  or 
elsewhere,  I  will  see  you  before  we  go.  God  bless 
you,  my  mother. 

"Your  son, 

"  James  A.  Beaver." 

"  Bellefonte,  April  17th,  1861. 
' '  My  own  dear  Mother  : 

"  Oh  how  I  long  to  see  you,  if  for  but  one 
brief  moment  1  This  boon  denied  me  I  must  trust  to 
a  lame  medium  the  expression  of  my  feelings.  You 
have  doubtless  anticipated  the  action  I  have  taken  in 
the  present  alarming  condition  of  our  national  affairs, 
and  I  hope  I  know  my  mother  too  well  to  suppose 
that  she  would  counsel  any  other  course  than  the  one 
which  I  have  taken.  I  can  almost  imagine  that  I 
hear  you  saying,  '  My  son,  do  your  duty,'  and  I  hope 
that  no  other  feeling  than  that  of  duty  urges  me  on. 
29 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

If  I  know  my  own  heart,  duty — my  duty  first  and 
above  all  to  God,  my  duty  to  humanity,  my  duty  to 
my  country  and  my  duty  to  posterity — all  point  in 
one  and  the  same  direction.  Need  I  say  that  that 
direction  points  to  the  defence  of  our  nation  in  this 
hour  of  her  peril  ?  We  march  to-morrow  for  Harris- 
burg ;  remain  there  until  ordered  into  actual  service, 
thence  to  whatever  post  may  be  assigned  us.  I  have 
little  fear  of  any  hostilities  between  the  different  sec- 
tions of  our  country  for  the  present.  Should  the 
worst  we  fear  come  upon  us,  however,  and  in  the 
providence  of  God  my  life  should  be  yielded  up  in 
the  service,  I  feel  and  know  that  the  sacrifice  would 
be  small  compared  with  the  sacrifices,  trials  and 
anxieties  which  you  have  made  and  undergone  for 
me ;  and,  my  mother,  can  I  better  repay  them  than 
by  going  straight  forward  in  the  path  of  duty?  In 
reviewing  my  life,  oh,  how  much  is  there  that  I 
would  blot  from  memory's  pages — how  much  for 
which  I  would  atone  at  any  cost.  It  may  perhaps  be 
as  well  that  I  am  not  able  to  see  you  noiv.  It  will 
spare  us  both  some  pain  but  rob  me  of  much  pleasure. 
"  Affectionately  your  son, 

"James  A.  Beaver." 

James  A.  Beaver  served  through  the  war  from 
1861,  until  in  August,  1864,  he  was  shot  through 
the  right  leg  at  Ream's  Station.  He  had  been 
wounded  frequently  and  severely  before  but  this 
last  wound  necessitated  the  amputation  of  his 
leg.  Eight  days  later  his  diary  contains  the 
single  entry,  "Saturday,  September  3d.  Com- 
menced to  die."  The  entry  erred,  however,  and 
30 


Ancestry  and  Home 

on  December  22d,  1864,  he  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service,  "on  account  of  wounds  received  in 
battle,"  having  risen  from  first-lieutenant,  as  he 
was  mustered  in,  to  lieutenant-colonel  at  the  end 
of  three  months'  enlistment,  then  to  colonel  and 
from  colonel  to  brigadier-general  in  the  second 
corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  commanded 
by  Major-General  Winfield  Scott  Hancock.  The 
regiment  of  which  he  was  colonel — the  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers came  to  be  recognized  under  his  command 
as  one  of  the  finest  regiments  in  the  army.  He 
was  a  clean,  unpretentious,  active  Christian  sol- 
dier. "I  have  no  taste  for  court-martial,"  he 
wrote,  when  an  easy  place  was  offered  him  in 
1864,  "or  other  inactive  military  duty."  He  de- 
clined to  take  command  of  the  Third  Brigade  of 
the  Second  Corps,  in  May,  1864,  because  he  said, 
"  He  preferred  not  to  leave  his  regiment.  He  felt 
it  his  duty  to  stay  by  the  men  he  had  brought 
into  the  field."  "  He  was  a  soldier  who  could  be 
trusted  morning,  noon,  and  night,"  wrote  Major- 
General  D,  N.  Couch.  "1  never  heard  a  ribald 
or  a  profane  word  pass  his  lips,"  said  Brigadier- 
General  John  R.  Brooke.  General  Beaver  was  a 
good  type  of  the  American  volunteer,  a  soldier- 
by  the  call  of  duty,  not  by  profession,  aggres- 
sive, ignorant  of  fear,  jovially  human,  adaptive, 
quick  to  grasp  and  master  any  situation,  full  of 

31 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

kindly,  manly  friendships,  rooted  deeply  in  the 
affections  of  a  home  community,  of  instincts  in- 
tensely democratic,  and  devoutly  sensible  of 
God's  sovereign  control  of  all  our  human  life. 

After  the  war  General  Beaver  resumed  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Bellefonte  and  in  1865  married  Miss 
Mary  McAllister,  the  daughter  of  his  law-partner 
and  former  teacher.  Hugh  McAllister  Beaver  was 
their  third  son.  He  was  named  after  his  mother's 
father,  who  died  a  few  weeks  after  Hugh  was 
born,  while  he  was  sitting  as  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  McAllister  was  a  man  of  excep- 
tional character  and  power.  The  Honorable  John 
Scott'  spoke  of  him  as 

"  A  fiery  soul  which,  working  out  its  way, 
Fretted  the  pigmy  body  to  decay." 

He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  grandfather, 
Major  Hugh  McAllister,  was  born  in  Lancaster 
County  in  1736,  and  fought  in  Captain  Forbes' 
company  through  the  Indian  war  of  1763.  In 
the  darkest  hour  of  the  revolutionary  struggle  he 
was  the  first  man  to  volunteer  to  form  a  com- 
pany to  reenforce  Washington.  The  company 
was  raised  in  Lost  Creek  Valley,  which  is  now 
Juniata  County.  Major  McAllister's  son  served 
through  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  subsequently 

'United  States  Senator  from  Pennsylvania.     Subsequently  Solicitor-Gen- 
eral of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company. 

32 


Ancestry  and  Home 

one  of  the  Judges  of  Juniata  County.  His  son, 
Hugh  Beaver's  grandfather,  was  born  in  1809  and 
graduated  from  Jefferson  College  in  1833.  When 
the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  was  one  of  the  most 
earnest  supporters  of  the  administration.  "Al- 
though far  beyond  the  age  when  men  are  relieved 
from  military  duty,  and  being  unfit  by  education, 
habits  and  the  state  of  his  health,  for  the  hard- 
ships of  a  campaign,  he  accepted  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  captaincy  of  Company  'F,'  of  the 
Twenty-third  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Militia, 
which  he  had  raised,  went  with  his  company  to 
the  field  and  served  faithfully  until  his  place  could 
be  filled  by  a  younger  man."' 

Mr.  McAllister  was  a  lawyer  of  great  ability 
and  a  man  of  large  personal  power.  In  the  me- 
morial service  of  the  Constitutional  Convention, 
where  he  had  been  taking  a  leading  part  in  re- 
shaping the  constitution  of  Pennsylvania,  Gov- 
ernor Curtin  said  of  him,  "While  it  could  not  be 
said  that  he  had  the  affection  which  more  attrac- 
tive and  magnetic  qualities  draw  to  the  public 
man,  he  had  the  homage  of  the  conviction  in 
everybody  who  knew  him,  that  he  was  a  man 
of  sterling  integrity,  of  constant  labor,  of  iron 
fidelity,  and  of  a  will  which,  fixed  in  a  direction 
he  believed  right  and  true,  never  failed  to  carry 
with   it   the  accomplishment  of   his   purpose." 

'  Constitutional  Convention,  McAllister  Memorial,  p.  70. 
33 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

And  Governor  Bigler  describing  him  as  "  always 
excitable,  at  times  passionate,  imperious  and  re- 
lentless, and  yet  generous,  benevolent,  compas- 
sionate and  affectionate,"  added  that  he  had  never 
seen  his  equal  in  "industry,  resistless  energy, 
positive  will,  passionate  devotion,  dauntless  cour- 
age, large  benevolence  and  tender  humanity." 

Hugh  Beaver's  grandfather  was  a  man  of  great 
liberality,  the  friend  and  counsellor  of  those  in 
need,  of  the  poor,  and  especially  of  Christian 
enterprises.  For  years  he  was  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  and  his  Bible  was  a  worn 
book,  full  of  his  notes  and  jottings.  He  was  a 
man  of  practical  tastes  but  wide  sympathies. 
He  had  a  model  farm  on  which  it  was  said  he 
could  raise  two  spears  of  grass  where  any  other 
farmer  in  Pennsylvania  could  raise  one.  He  was 
the  leading  spirit  in  a  great  agricultural  conven- 
tion in  St.  Louis  in  1872  which  he  attended  at 
much  personal  sacrifice  because  he  thought  he 
might  say  something  useful  to  the  farmers  of  the 
West.  It  was  chiefly  due  to  his  influence  and 
energy  and  persistence  that  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege of  Pennsylvania,  now  known  as  State  Col- 
lege, was  established. 

Mr.  McAllister's  wife  was  Henrietta  Ashman 
Orbison,  of  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  whose 
brother,  James  H.  Orbison,  was  for  years  a  Pres- 
byterian missionary  in  India,  and  whose  brother's 

34 


Ancestry  and  Home 

son,  the  Rev.  J.  Harris  Orbison,  M.  D.,  is  a  mis- 
sionary now  in  Lahore. 

Hugh  Beaver  was  descended  thus  from  two 
lines  of  fighters,  men  who  were  engaged  in  al- 
most every  war  of  our  national  history.  And 
yet  they  were  men  of  peace,  quiet  men,  loving 
home  and  preferring  to  win  the  good  title  of  ex- 
emplary Christians  and  citizens.  All  of  his  an- 
cestors lived  and  died  in  the  state  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Many  racial  streams  have  flowed  together 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  Hugh  Beaver  was  the  prod- 
uct of  one  of  these  convergences  which  have  pro- 
duced and  are  constantly  producing  in  our  country 
a  type  of  character  which  is  new  and  distinct,  and 
to  which  God  has  already  fitted  the  natural  con- 
ditions of  our  Ufe.     As  Hugh's  father  writes  : 

"  His  ancestors  of  the  fourth  preceding  generation 
were  all  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  all  of  the  male 
members  of  his  immediate  ancestry  of  that  generation 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  except  Benjamin 
Elliot  who  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
framed  for  Pennsylvania  the  Constitution  of  1776.  On 
his  father's  side  his  ancestry  was  English,  German  (Pal- 
atine) and  French  (Huguenot),  and  on  his  mother's 
side,  English  and  Scotch-Irish.  The  distinguishing 
characteristics  of  this  varied  ancestry  combined  to 
produce  a  personality  which,  in  early  boyhood,  was 
characterized  by  earnestness,  intensity,  vivacity,  cour- 
age and  perseverance.  These  characteristics  increased 
and  developed  with  his  growth  and  found  full  play  in 
his  short,  active  life." 

35 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Hugh  spent  his  entire  hfe  prior  to  entrance  to 
college — with  the  exception  of  several  short  peri- 
ods in  Harrisburg — in  his  native  town  of  Belle- 
fonte.  There  is  something  in  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania that  makes  her  children  love  her  with  a 
peculiar  love.  The  writer  has  observed  in  many 
states  and  in  many  different  lands  the  peculiar 
ties  which  bind  the  sons  of  Pennsylvania  to  the 
soil  of  their  fathers.  There  would  seem  to  be  no 
other  state  in  the  Union  of  which  this  can  be  said 
in  the  same  degree  unless  it  be  Georgia.  Georgia 
and  Pennsylvania  wrap  the  tendrils  of  a  singular 
love  around  the  hearts  of  their  children.  And 
this  is  the  best  patriotism.  As  Henry  W.  Grady 
said  shortly  before  his  death  to  the  literary  so- 
cieties of  the  University  of  Virginia: 

"  The  germ  of  the  best  patriotism  is  in  the  love 
that  a  man  has  for  the  home  he  inhabits,  for  the  soil 
he  tills,  for  the  trees  that  give  him  shade,  and  the 
hills  that  stand  in  his  pathway.  I  teach  my  son  to 
love  Georgia ;  to  love  the  soil  that  he  stands  on — the 
body  of  my  old  mother — the  mountains  that  are  her 
springing  breasts,  the  broad  acres  that  hold  her  sub- 
stance, the  dimpling  valleys  in  which  her  beauty 
rests,  the  forests  that  sing  her  songs  of  lullaby  and  of 
praise,  and  the  brooks  that  run  with  her  rippling 
laughter.  The  love  of  home — deep-rooted  and 
abiding — that  blurs  the  eyes  of  the  dying  soldier  with 
the  visions  of  an  old  homestead  amid  green  fields  and 
clustering  trees;  that  follows  the  busy  man  through 
36 


Ancestry  and  Home 

the  clamoring  world,  persistent  though  put  aside,  and 
at  last  draws  his  tired  feet  from  the  highway  and  leads 
him  through  shady  lanes,  and  well-remembered 
paths  until,  amid  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood,  he 
gathers  up  the  broken  threads  of  his  life  and  owns 
the  soil  his  conqueror — this — this  lodged  in  the  heart 
of  the  citizen  is  the  saving  principle  of  our  govern- 
ment. We  note  the  barracks  of  our  standing  army 
with  its  rolling  drum  and  its  fluttering  flag  as  points 
of  strength  and  protection.  But  the  citizen  standing 
in  the  doorway  of  his  home,  contented  on  his 
threshold,  his  family  gathered  about  his  hearthstone, 
while  the  evening  of  a  well-spent  day  closes  in  scenes 
and  sounds  that  are  dearest,  he  shall  save  the  republic 
when  the  drum  tap  is  futile  and  the  barracks  are  ex- 
hausted." ' 

No  boy  ever  loved  his  home  and  state  more 
than  Hugh  Beaver  loved  Bellefonte  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  the  speech  just  quoted  Mr.  Grady  re- 
calls the  words  of  George  Eliot,  "a  human  life 
should  be  w^ell  rooted  in  some  spot  of  a  native 
land  where  it  may  get  the  love  of  tender  kinship 
for  the  face  of  the  earth,  for  the  sounds  and  ac- 
cents that  haunt  it,  a  spot  where  the  defmiteness 
of  early  memories  may  be  inwrought  with  affec- 
tion, and  spread,  not  by  sentimental  effort  and 
reflection,  but  as  a  sweet  habit  of  the  blest." 
His  native  town  was  such  a  spot  as  this  to  Hugh. 
There   was   no   other  place   so   beautiful.     The 

'  The  (Virginia  Unii'enity  Magazine.    New  series,  Vol.  xxxiii.,  No.  2,  p. 
loof. 

37 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Muncy  Mountain  range  to  the  west,  and  the  Nit- 
tany  to  the  east,  shut  in  the  Nittany  Valley  in 
which  Bellefonte  lies.  Smaller  ridges  break  up 
the  valley  within  and  Spring  Creek  runs  down 
the  valley  to  the  Larger  Bald  Eagle  Creek  from 
which  at  Bald  Eagle  Furnace  the  Little  Bald  Eagle 
is  separated,  which  in  turn  steals  out  through  the 
hills  to  the  Juniata.  Indian  names  linger  on  the 
mountains — Nittany,  Kishcoquillas,  Allegrippas, 
Tuscarora,  and  Muncy.  Bald  Eagle  after  whom 
the  creeks  are  named  was  a  Delaware  chief,  and 
the  Shawnees,  the  Muncies,  the  Nanticokes,  the 
Tuscaroras  and  other  tribes  along  the  river  on  the 
banks  of  which  most  of  Hugh's  ancestors  had 
lived,  have  left  many  memories  apart  from  the 
old  song,  which  tells  how 

Once  roved  an  Indian  girl 

Bright  Alfarata, 
Where  sweep  the  waters 

Of  the  IMue  Juniata. 
Swift  as  an  antelope 

Through  the  forest  going, 
Loose  were  her  jetty  loclts 
In  wavy  tresses  flowing. 

Gay  was  the  mountain  song 

Of  bright  Alfarata  — 
Where  sweep  the  waters 
Of  the  Blue  Juniata. 
"  Strong  and  true  my  arrows  are, 
In  my  painted  quiver  — 
Swift  goes  my  light  canoe 
Adown  the  rapid  river. 

38 


Ancestry  and  Home 

"  Bold  is  my  warrior  good, 
The  love  of  Alfarata, 
Proud  waves  his  snowy  plume 

Along  the  Juniata. 
Soft  and  low  he  speaks  to  me, 

And  then  his  war  cry  sounding, 
Rings  his  voice  in  thunder  loud 

From  height  to  height  resounding." 

So  sang  the  Indian  girl, 

Bright  Alfarata, 
Where  sweep  the  waters 

Of  the  Blue  Juniata. 
Fleeting  years  have  borne  away 

The  voice  of  Alfarata. 
Still  sweeps  the  river  on,  ■ 

Blue  Juniata. 

The  green,  fragrant  fields  of  clover  and  timothy, 
the  waving  seas  of  wheat  and  rye  and  the  rusthng 
armies  of  corn;  the  sun-kissed,  pine-fringed  hill- 
tops looking  out  over  the  rich  valleys  and  the 
prosperous  homes;  meadows  and  orchards, 
woodland  and  forest  were  all  dear  to  Hugh. 
Even  now  the  sweet  fields  and  swelling  hills  of 
Paradise  can  scarce  be  dearer. 

The  town  itself  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
Central  Pennsylvania.  Its  early  prosperity  was 
due  to  its  iron  furnaces  and  the  wealth  of  the 
agricultural  resources  of  the  valley  lands  round 
about.  Other  interests  have  developed  with  the 
years.  The  early  population  was  made  up  of  the 
commingling  of  strains  characteristic  of  our 
American    communities,   but  with   a  dominant 

39 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Scotch-Irish  element  and  not  a  few  prosperous 
Friends,  who  had  come  westward  and  brought 
their  meeting  house  with  them.  The  Scotch- 
Irish  were  and  are  Presbyterians.  The  Friends 
have  melted  away  and  the  weekly  meeting  is  al- 
most abandoned.  Their  children  have  grown 
into  more  genial  faiths,  it  had  been  for  years  a 
town  of  great  intelligence.  Judge  Woodward,  a 
Philadelphia  lawyer,  spoke  of  this  in  an  address 
at  the  Constitutional  Convention:  "When  I 
think  of  that  picturesque  and  beautiful  village  of 
Bellefonte  and  of  the  refined  and  intelligent  so- 
ciety I  found  there  in  1841,  it  makes  my  heart 
ache  to  think  of  the  desolation  death  hath 
wrought  there.  There  was  John  Blanchard,  one 
of  the  noblest  men  it  has  been  my  good  fortune 
to  know,  and  Bond  Valentine,  a  genial  Quaker, 
and  James  T.  Hale,  a  man  of  rare  endowments, 
and  James  Petrikin,  a  lawyer,  an  artist  and  a  wit, 
and  James  Burnside  who  was  everybody's  friend 
and  had  a  friend  in  everybody."  In  such  a  com- 
munity the  social  relationships  and  associations 
were  all  that  could  be  desired  for  a  boy,  and  there 
was  all  the  freedom  of  country  life  with  its 
wholesomeness  and  buoyant,  purifying  influence 
upon  character. 


40 


Ill 

BOYHOOD 

Then  heard  he  a  voice  that  said,  "Galahad,  I  see  there  about  thee  so 
many  angels  that  my  power  may  not  hurt  thee." — IVlalory's  King  Arthur. 

He  scarce  had  need  to  doff  his  pride  or  slough  the  dross  of  Earth  — 
E'en  as  he  trod  that  day  to  God  so  walked  he  from  his  birth, 
In  simpleness  and  gentleness  and  honor  and  clean  mirth. 

— Rudyard  Kipling,  Vencs  to  Wolcott  Balestier. 

Hugh's  boyhood  was  the  sunny,  unconstrained 
life  of  the  best  type  of  American  boy.  He  took 
an  interest  in  all  interesting  things,  was  free  from 
every  idiosyncrasy  and  grew  up  amid  his  fellows 
happy  and  free,  disciplined  into  the  capacity  to 
serve,  with  no  consciousness  that  he  was  in  such 
a  school.  There  was  no  undue  orderliness  or  pre- 
cocity of  precision  about  him.  He  seems  to  have 
made  only  one  attempt  to  keep  account  of  his 
receipts  and  expenditures.  It  was  in  a  red  mem- 
orandum book,  indexed  alphabetically  and  in  it 
for  four  days  he  kept  a  cash  account  of  his  ex- 
penditures, entering  his  payments  as  in  a  ledger 
under  the  names  of  the  persons  to  whom  the 
payments  were  made.  This  memorandum  book 
was  doubtless  a  Christmas  present,  for  the  first 
entries  are  made  on  December  28th.  The  last 
entries  are  made  January  ist.  Perhaps  the  ability 
41 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

to  make  payments  disappeared  then,  for  there 
was  a  lavish  expenditure  while  the  assets  lasted. 
The  entries  under  "S"  indicate  a  generous 
spirit  in  a  boy  and  an  unusual  proportion  to  his 
expenditures  : 

"Dec.  28,  S.  School,  .  .  .25 
Dec.  30,  C.  Shuey,  candy,  .  10 
Dec.  31,  C.  Shuey,  candy,  .04 
Jan.      I,    Stitzer,     Book,  .50." 

The  military  passion  developed  in  him  early. 
His  father  writes  : 

"He  was  a  great  reader  always,  but  when  he  got 
hold  of  anything  relating  to  the  war  he  simply  de- 
voured it;  would  sit  all  day  in  the  house,  without 
going  out,  and  curl  himself  up  in  a  corner  of  a  sofa 
and  be  lost  to  everything  else  terrestrial.  This,  of 
course,  affected  his  thought  in  regard  to  military  af- 
fairs very  much  and,  when  he  became  the  captain  of 
the  boys'  company,  called  the  Bellefonte  Guards,  it 
was  a  very  real  thing  to  him.  It  gave  him  great  con- 
cern that  his  company  did  not  take  as  serious  a  view 
of  the  matter  as  he  did.  In  drills  and  in  their  Satur- 
day afternoon  camps  and  in  everything  of  that  sort, 
he  was  a  very  strict  disciplinarian.  The  punishments 
inflicted  upon  the  members  of  his  company  were 
sometimes  severe,  but  were  inflicted  solely  in  the  in- 
terests of  discipline,  upon  which  he  laid  great  stress. 
Tom  was  Hugh's  orderly.  This  was  an  adroit  and 
effective  scheme  to  get  Tom  to  run  errands. 

"  The  boys  were  accustomed  to  going  with  me  to 
the  camps  of  our  National  Guard,  when  I  commanded 
42 


Boyhood 

a  brigade  in  it,  and  here  also  Hugh  had  plenty  of 
opportunity  to  learn  the  drill  and  to  acquire  a  knowl- 
edge of  military  routine  and  details.  On  one  occa- 
sion in  which  the  inspector  of  my  brigade  came  here 
to  inspect  the  company  which  is  located  in  Bellefonte, 
I  intimated  to  him  that  I  thought  it  would  please 
Hugh  very  much,  if  he  would  inspect  his  company. 
He  gave  Hugh  notice  of  the  inspection  and  it  was 
paraded  in  due  form,  Hugh  presenting  it  to  the  major 
who  was  in  full  uniform  with  as  much  seriousness  as 
if  his  company  were  a  part  of  the  National  Guard. 
Major  Sayer,  who  was  a  gallant  soldier  in  the  war 
and  had  lost  a  leg  in  it,  was  very  much  impressed  as 
well  as  amused  with  the  incident  and  spoke  of  it 
many  times  afterward.  Unfortunately  he  is  dead  or 
he  would  be  able  to  give  a  very  graphic  account  of 
this  inspection." 

The  prospect  of  this  formal  inspection  was  too 
much  for  some  members  of  the  company,  and 
smitten  with  terror  they  viewed  Hugh's  presen- 
tation of  his  remaining  men,  from  a  position  of 
safety  around  the  corner  of  the  house  where  they 
were  visible  to  Hugh  but  not  to  Major  Sayer. 
Hugh  was  profoundly  disgusted  with  their  con- 
duct and  made  frank  remarks  to  them  afterward, 
but  neither  as  a  boy  nor  hiter  did  he  have  the  sad 
gift  of  bitter  speech,  and  his  words,  though  plain, 
left  no  sting. 

Hugh  had  four  brothers.  Nelson,  the  oldest  of 
the  four  boys,  died  when  a  child.  Of  the  others 
Gilbert  was  the  oldest    and    Tom   and    James 

43 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

younger  than  Hugh.  The  father  and  mother  en- 
tered heartily  into  all  the  ways  of  the  boys,  and 
the  family  life  expanded  to  take  in  their  plans. 

"In  going  to  our  stale  militia  camps  on  several 
occasions,"  General  Beaver  writes,  "  we  drove  in  our 
carriage,  on  one  occasion  going  through  some  fifteen 
counties  of  the  state  and  making  quite  a  round 
through  Bedford,  Somerset,  AVestmoreland,  Arm- 
strong, Butler,  etc.  Hugh  was  then  quite  a  lad  and 
greatly  interested  in  Pennsylvania  and  its  resources. 
He  started,  I  remember,  on  that  trip  to  make  a  collec- 
tion of  the  resources  of  the  several  counties,  intend- 
ing to  make  a  cabinet  illustrative  of  the  subject. 
When  we  came  to  Somerset  County  and  he  inquired 
of  one  of  the  citizens  at  a  place  where  we  stopped  for 
the  night,  what  the  principal  products  of  Somerset 
County  were,  the  man  said,  *  Cheese  and  maple 
sugar.'  Hugh  was  very  much  amused  at  this  and 
intimated  that  the  rats  would  probably  eat  the  cheese 
and,  as  he  would  eat  the  maple  sugar,  there  wouldn't 
be  anything  left  for  the  cabinet.  However,  as  we 
were  passing  a  barn  which  was  then  being  built,  we 
stopped  for  a  moment  to  examine  the  lumber  which 
was  then  going  into  it  and  Hugh  found  that  the 
flooring  was  to  be  of  sugar  maple.  He  got  one  of 
the  carpenters  to  saw  him  off  a  little  bit  of  the  floor- 
ing for  his  cabinet  and  carried  it  home  with  him. 
These  trips  in  the  carriage  were  great  occasions  for 
us  all.  I  became  better  acquainted  with  the  boys 
and  they  developed  wonderfully  under  them.  The 
work  was  carefully  divided,  Tom  looking  after  the 
horses,  Hugh  looking  after  the  carriage  and  contents, 
seeing  that  everything  was  taken  out  at  night  and  put 
44 


Boyhood 

back  in  the  morning,  and  Gilbert  attending  to  the 
finances.  On  one  occasion,  when  our  camp  was  to 
be  at  Gettysburg,  we  went  by  way  of  Huntingdon, 
Orbisonia,  Fannettsburg,  Upper  Strasburg,  Cham- 
bersburg,  etc.,  to  Gettysburg,  and  home  by  way  of 
Harrisburg  and  the  Juniata,  stopping  at  Millerstown, 
where  my  parents  had  lived,  and  at  McAllisterville, 
where  Hugh's  grandfather's  parents  had  lived.  I  prom- 
ised them,  when  we  started,  that  I  would  show  them  the 
graves  of  many  of  their  ancestors.  At  Huntingdon,  we 
found  the  graves  of  Benjamin  Elliot  and  his  wife,  of 
William  Orbison,  the  elder,  and  his  wife;  at  Kie- 
fer's  Church  in  Franklin  County,  the  graves  of  my 
great-grandfather  Beaver  and  his  wife;  at  Millers- 
town  the  graves  of  my  grandfather  Addams  and  wife 
and  of  my  parents  and  a  few  miles  out  of  my  grand- 
mother Beaver.  In  the  old  churchyard  near  Thomp- 
sontown,  we  found  the  graves  of  the  Thompsons  for 
several  generations,  and  at  McAllisterville,  in  the  old 
Lost  Creek  Presbyterian  Church  burying  ground,  the 
graves  of  the  McAllisters.  After  leaving  Lost  Creek 
and  Mifflintown  and  turning  our  faces  homeward  by 
way  of  Lewistown,  Hugh  remarked,  with  a  very  quiz- 
zical sort  of  an  expression  on  his  face,  *  Well,  papa, 
aren't  we  nearly  through  with  the  graves  of  the  an- 
cestors?' We  laughed  at  him  a  great  deal  about  it 
and  it  was  quite  a  joke  in  the  family  for  a  long  time. 
My  recollection  is  that  we  had  visited  the  graves  of 
about  sixteen  of  his  ancestors,  both  on  his  mother's 
side  and  mine," 

There  were  none  but  the  most  loving  Christian 
influences  surrounding  Hugh  in  his  home.     His 
father  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
45 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

and  the  atmosphere  of  the  community  so  far  as 
Hugh  felt  it  was  Christian.  The  Bible  and  the 
Shorter  Catechism  had  a  large  place  in  his  home 
instruction,  General  Beaver  holding  strong  con- 
victions as  to  the  efficacy  of  the  catechism  and 
its  educational  value.     The  father  writes: 

"Gilbert  had  committed  the  Shorter  Catechism  to 
memory  very  early.  Indeed  he  was  more  than  third 
through  it,  when  he  was  about  three  years  old,  but  I 
thought  his  memory  would  be  taxed  beyond  what 
was  reasonable  and  stopped  repeating  the  questions 
and  answers  to  him.  He  finished,  however,  before 
he  was  nine  years  old  and,  as  was  promised  him,  was 
given  a  silver  watch  suitably  inscribed.  A  similar 
offer  was  made  to  Hugh  but  he  never  grew  enthusi- 
astic over  the  watch,  expecting  that  his  grandfather's 
watch  was  to  come  to  him.  He  developed  a  desire 
for  marksmanship  and  became  very  skillful  both  with 
the  air  gun  and  subsequently  with  a  rifle.  Thinking 
that  he  needed  a  stimulus,  I  offered  him  as  an  induce- 
ment to  memorizing  the  Shorter  Catechism  an  air 
gun  and  this  settled  the  question  immediately  and 
the  catechism  was  soon  dispatched.  After  the  air 
gun  was  secured,  Gilbert  made  him  a  target  with  a 
bull's-eye  which,  when  hit,  released  a  spring,  causing 
an  Indian  to  pop  up  at  the  top  of  the  target,  and  this 
afforded  great  amusement  to  the  boys  in  their  young 
boyhood.  It  was  really  astonishing  to  see  the  man- 
ner in  which  Hugh  could  strike  that  bull's-eye  with  a 
gun  as  uncertain  as  the  air  gun  was." 

The  boys  of  each  generation  have  their  own 
peculiar  range  of  interests,  but  collecting  some- 

46 


Boyhood 

thing  or  other  is  always  a  passion  with  boys. 
Hugh  passed  through  the  fever  of  stamp  collect- 
ing and  also  of  the  gathering  of  tobacco  tags. 
His  partner  in  these  enterprises  and  in  many  of 
his  boyhood  experiences  was  Edmund  Blanchard 
who  has  kindly  written  out  some  of  his  recollec- 
tions of  those  days  : 

<'  The  first  year  Hugh  was  old  enough  to  enjoy  out- 
door life  was  spent  on  a  large  swing  on  the  back 
upper  porch  and  it  was  here  that  the  writer  and  most 
of  Hugh's  young  friends  met  him.  Everybody  upon 
arrival  at  the  house  was  ushered  to  this  favorite  place 
where  Hugh  would  be  surrounded  with  his  numerous 
friends.  The  whole  day  would  be  spent  here,  each 
one  having  a  turn  in  the  performance — a  character- 
istic of  Hugh's  even  at  that  early  stage,  i.  e.,  a  marked 
lack  of  selfishness  and  an  equal  treatment  to  all  who 
were  his  friends.  In  all  these  performances  Hugh 
outshone  all  the  rest  of  us.  While  not  as  heavy  as 
some,  yet  his  wiriness  was  most  noticeable.  After  this, 
he  drifted  into  a  military  frame  of  mind  which  resulted 
in  the  formation  of  a  company  of  Avhich  Hugh  was  cap- 
tain. With  wooden  guns  and  *  mother  made '  uni- 
forms, we  were  all  organized  into  a  regular  company 
with  our  armory  in  the  Beaver  stable.  Hugh  was 
very  well  up  in  tactics  and  in  time  had  his  company 
a  well-drilled  organization,  with  a  very  good  knowl- 
edge of  the  simpler  movements  which  were  always 
performed  on  the  large  lawn  before  the  eye  of  Gen- 
eral Beaver  on  the  porch. 

"  The  other  young  fellows  of  the  town  became  very 
jealous  of  the  notice  taken  of  us,  so  organized  an  op- 
47 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

position  company  and  declared  war  against  us.  This 
state  existed  for  some  time,  and  very  few  days  would 
pass  without  a  capture  on  the  one  side  or  the  other, 
which  meant  a  day's  confinement  in  the  bran  box, 
until  supper  time.  As  we  had  to  pass  their  head- 
quarters on  our  way  down  town,  we  always  went  by 
there  with  our  fathers,  clutching  their  hands,  with  the 
enemy  making  wild  signs  of  '  wait  until  you  come 
back  ! '  Our  wooden  swords  were  very  formidable 
instruments.  'Jimmy,'  the  big  Irish  coachman,  was 
the  greatest  fortification  we  had  in  time  of  real  peril. 

"  In  all  these  affairs  Hugh  was  always  at  the  head 
and  showed  a  wonderful  spirit  of  bravery.  He  could 
outdo  any  of  his  friends  in  outdoor  sports  and  took  a 
healthy,  active  interest  in  everything.  One  thing 
was  noticeable  at  this  time,  that  he  would  never  look 
at  girls,  but  was  remarkably  bashful. 

"At  about  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  took  a  great 
interest  in  baseball  and  became  the  best  pitcher  of  his 
age  in  the  town.  He  and  the  writer  formed  a  battery 
and  hardly  a  day  passed  that  one  of  the  most  exciting 
games  between  two  batteries  would  not  be  played .  We 
would  receive  'all  comers,'  none  of  whom  were  able 
to  solve  Hugh's  curves.  He  had  a  wonderful  con- 
trol and  very  good  curves.  We  termed  ourselves, 
'The  little  potatoes,  hard  to  peel.'  It  was  at  this 
time  that  the  Beavers  had  a  donkey  presented  to  them. 
We  all  spent  our  time  riding  '  Maud  '  and  the  main 
trick  was  for  one  to  get  on  and  the  other  twist  its  tail 
which  would  make  it  kick  violently  for  about  five 
minutes,  and  the  point  was  to  see  who  could  stick  on. 
Here  again  Hugh  outdid  us  all,  as  it  was  wonderful 
how  he  could  stay  on  with  his  legs  only  reaching  half- 
way round  the  donkey. 

"Then  during  the  summer  of  1889,  we  were  all 
48 


Boyhood 

delighted  to  hear  that  General  Beaver  was  going  to 
give  Hugh  tents  enough  to  take  his  vi^hole  company 
camping  in  the  mountains.  General  Beaver  was  gov- 
ernor at  the  time  and  sent  an  old  colored  man  to 
take  care  of  us.  We  spent  ten  days  right  in  the  heart 
of  the  Alleghanies  with  no  thought  of  fear,  and  those 
days  of  swimming,  hunting,  etc.,  were  undoubtedly 
the  finest  in  our  lives. 

"So  all  through  his  life  Hugh  was  always  doing 
something  for  his  friends.  We  were  all  jealous  of 
each  other's  affection  for  him,  but  he  seemed  entirely 
unconscious  of  it,  and  treated  us  all  alike.  We 
went  camping  in  this  way  for  two  years  until  the  fol- 
lowing autumn  we  all  parted  for  various  colleges, 
when  the  writer's  close  connection  with  Hugh  seemed 
to  end,  although  we  both  seemed  as  fond  of  each  other 
as  ever.     We  drifted  into  different  fields." 

in  1886  Hugh's  father  was  elected  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  family  removed  to  Harris- 
burg,  the  capital  of  the  state,  in  1887.  This  di- 
vided their  interests  between  Harrisburg  and 
Bellefonte  until  the  expiration  of  Governor 
Beaver's  term  of  office,  December  31,  1890. 

"Hugh  went  with  us  to  Harrisburg,"  writes 
his  father,  "  in '87.  Neither  he  nor  Tom  were 
ever  very  much  taken  with  the  idea  of  going  to 
Harrisburg  and  always,  when  asked  how  they 
liked  Harrisburg,  invariably  replied  '  Not  as  well 
as  Bellefonte.'  This  feeling  grew  upon  Hugh  to 
such  an  extent  that,  after  our  home  vacation  in 
'89  and  his  making  the  special  plea  to  be  al- 
49 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

lowed  to  remain  here  in  Bellefonte  and  attend 
our  academy,  we  consented  and  he  boarded  for 
a  time  with  Mrs.  Hoy,  and  afterward  with  his 
aunt,  Mrs.  Nannie  Orbison,  the  widow  of  Hugh's 
missionary  uncle.  In  this  way  he  was  separated 
from  the  family  during. the  winter  of  '89,  and 
also  of  '90.  Tom  joined  him  in  the  winter  of 
'90,  and  they  both  attended  the  academy  that 
year,  which  was  our  last  at  Harrisburg." 

Although  full  of  vivacity  and  vitality  Hugh 
was  not  strong  and  after  going  to  Harrisburg  he 
began  a  course  of  physical  training  in  the  hope 
of  increasing  his  strength.  It  is  of  this  that  his 
father  writes: 

"  Although  greatly  interested  in  all  outdoor  sports, 
Hugh  was  not  very  strong  physically  and  often  com- 
plained to  his  mother  that  he  could  not  do  what 
other  boys  could,  and  was  very  much  annoyed  and 
chagrined  because  of  this  fact.  After  we  went  to 
Harrisburg,  he  found  football  very  much  in  vogue 
there  and  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  accomplish  what 
other  boys  could  in  that  direction,  and  came  home 
one  day  very  much  discouraged.  Shortly  afterward  I 
found  on  the  table  in  the  sitting-room  the  book 
*  How  to  Get  Strong.'  I  observed  it  and  asked  his 
mother  what  it  meant.  She  said  that  Hugh  had 
ordered  it  from  some  book  publisher  on  his  own  ac- 
count. I  was  very  much  impressed  by  it  and  the 
next  time  1  went  to  Pliiladelphia  asked  his  mother  to 
get  him  ready  to  go  with  me.  We  went  together  and 
I  had  him  examined  by  a  celebrated  physician  there 
60 


Boyhood 

who  gave  attention  to  that  sort  of  practice  and  was 
assured  by  him  that  every  one  of  Hiigli's  organs  was 
perfect.  I  could  not  quite  agree  with  the  doctor  and 
made  my  dissent.  He  insisted  that  in  every  respect 
his  organs  were  normal  and  in  perfect  condition,  al- 
though he  might  not  be  physically  developed  as  fully 
as  might  be  desirable,  and  directed  me  to  another 
physician.  I  had  an  engagement  at  the  time  and 
gave  Hugh  the  money  to  go  down  for  an  examination 
by  this  physician.  He  went  with  a  young  companion 
and  came  up  to  the  hotel  where  I  was  stopping  at  an 
hour  which  had  been  designated,  with  a  prescription 
covering  physical  apparatus  of  all  sorts  which  he 
needed  for  physical  development.  I  asked  him  what 
the  cost  would  be  and  found  that  he  had  been  to 
Spaulding's  and  had  priced  the  whole  outfit.  As  a 
result,  we  ordered  the  entire  prescription  sent  to 
Harrisburg.  It  was  set  up  in  a  large  china  closet  on 
the  second  floor  of  the  back  building  and  that  was 
Hugh's  gymnasium.  I  never  knew  any  one  more 
conscientious  in  regard  to  his  exercise  than  he  was. 
No  matter  how  late  he  might  be  out  in  the  evening, 
he  went  to  the  little  gymnasium  and  took  the  pre- 
scribed quantity  of  exercise,  before  going  to  bed. 
The  result  was  a  fine,  symmetrical  physical  develop- 
ment. When  he  went  to  college,  he  entered  into 
athletic  sports  with  great  vigor  and  was  an  unusually 
fine  runner,  taking  one  of  the  first  prizes  at  the  indoor 
athletic  meet  in  probably  his  freshman  year.  His 
mother  disliked  athletics,  particularly  of  the  more 
violent  sort,  and  out  of  deference  to  her  wishes  and 
perhaps  a  feeling  on  his  own  part  tliat  they  were  not 
the  best  thing  for  him,  he  dropped  out  of  all  competi- 
tive athletics.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  them,  how- 
ever, through  his  entire  college  course  and  afterward, 
51 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

and  at  all  the  football  games  for  several  years  was 
very  active  and  always  announced  the  results  to  the 
crowd  at  all  the  games  which  he  attended." 

During  the  winter  of  1 888-1 889,  from  January 
until,  boylike,  he  wearied  of  it  on  March  20, 
Hugh  kept  a  diary  in  which  he  wrote  with  a  blue 
indelible  pencil,  and  extracts  from  which  will 
show  what  his  interests  and  tastes  had  become. 

"Jan.  I.  Happy  New  Year.  Went  up  to  see  the 
Senate  and  House  convene  with  W.  A.,  R.  P.,  and 
E.  B.  The  cut  in  Ned's  head  is  very  much  better. 
Doctor  made  a  dandy  job  of  it. 

"Jan.  2.  Ned  went  home  to-day.  Took  a  photo- 
graph with  Vance  of  Miss  S.,  but  it  was  not  good.  In 
the  afternoon  I  took  two  more  of  same  party.  Not 
bad.     Went  to  V.  M.'s  for  dinner. 

"Jan.  4.     Sick.     Staid  in  bed  all  day. 

"Jan.  6.  Did  not  go  to  church  on  account  of  my 
throat,  which  is  better.  Ulcer  is  still  there.  Papa 
read  a  chapter  from  Newton's  '  Life  of  Christ '  in  tlie 
evening. 

"Jan.  II.  Doctor  B.  H.  Warren  of  West  Chester 
was  liere  to-day  to  teach  me  to  stuff  birds. 

"Jan.  12.  This  morning  we  went  up  the  stand 
pipe  and  counted  the  steps  on  the  way  down.  There 
were  290.  In  the  afternoon  we  took  a  walk  over  the 
river  to  Fort  W.  Had  a  very  good  time  and  got 
home  about  5:45  pretty  tired. 

"Jan.  14.     Went  to  school.     After  school  in  the 
afternoon  we  had  a  dandy  game  of  shinny.     In  the 
evening   went   down   Marj^et   Street   and   saw   Cap. 
Then  went  to  the  Camera  Club. 
62 


Boyhood 

"Jan.  15.  Went  to  school.  Mr.  Seller  gave  us  a 
big  lesson  in  Algebra  for  to-morrow.  Had  a  good 
game  of  shinny.  'Went  to  hear  James  McC.  lecture 
on  electricity  with  L.  H.  and  R.  P. 

"Jan.  16.  At  school  to-day,  I  got  through  with- 
out being  kept  in.  Had  12  out  of  14  sums  in  alge- 
bra.    The  weather  is  very  dis.  on  account  of  rain. 

"Jan.  19.  In  the  morning  I  went  up  the  stand 
pipe  with  R.  P.,  L.  H.,  D.  H.,  and  some  other  fel- 
lows, and  again  in  the  afternoon.  I  took  several 
photographs  from  the  top.     No  good. 

"Jan.  20.  At  Church  this  morning,  Dr.  Cham- 
bers preached.     His  text  was  Eph.  iii.  14. 

"Jan.  21.  Did  not  go  to  school  on  account  of 
sore  throat.  Took  a  photograph  of  the  S.  to-day. 
Exposed  it  four  hours  and  fifty  minutes.  Had  white 
paper  over  windows.     Very  good. 

"Jan.  25.  Last  evening  Doc.  Warren  called  to 
teach  me  to  stuff  birds.  As  we  had  no  bird  to  stuff,  we 
substituted  a  banty  hen. 

"Jan.  27.  Cap.  called  here  last  evening  and  we 
had  a  good  time  together.  Did  not  go  to  church  as 
the  weather  is  disagreeable.  Read  Bible  warnings  in 
the  evening. 

"  Jan.  29.  Went  to  school.  After  school  I  drove 
down  to  Rob  Rutherford's  with  Teddy  and  traded  two 
roosters  for  three  hens.  The  hens  were  not  very 
large.     The  three  weighed  thirteen  lbs." 

Hugh,  as  will  be  seen,  had  a  great  faculty  for 
the  gentler  forms  of  slang.  He  never  lost  this. 
His  speech  was  always  of  the  most  unconven- 
tional and  breezy  sort  and  his  letters,  which  are 
always  brief,  and  his  short  diary  use  the  shortest 

53 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

and  most  expressive  terms.  "Dandy,"  was  one 
of  his  favorite  boyish  adjectives,  equivalent  to 
" delightful  "  or  "superlatively  good."  His  diary 
indicates  also  how  many  practical  and  useful 
interests  he  had, — stuffing  birds,  photography, 
poultry  raising.  He  had  a  very  inventive  mind. 
His  father  says  : 

"  Hugh  had  conceived  the  idea  of  hatching  chick- 
ens out  in  an  incubator  and  invented  one,  when  we 
were  in  Harrisburg,  which  was  to  be  placed  in  the 
manure  pile  at  the  stable,  and  was  so  arranged  that  the 
eggs  could  be  turned  by  a  combination  of  gum  bands 
and  knobs  on  the  inside  and  knobs  on  the  outside. 
It  was  really  an  ingenious  affair  but  I  do  not  think,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  that  any  chickens  were  ever  hatched 
by  it ;  but  boy-like  he  was  very  enthusiastic  over  it 
and  had  great  enjoyment  in  finding  that,  so  far  as  the 
mechanism  was  concerned,  he  could  accomplish  all 
that  he  had  set  out  to  do.  This  inventive  turn  stood 
him  in  good  stead  in  his  photographic  work.  Dur- 
ing his  attack  of  diplitheria  he  thought  out  a  plan  for 
enlarging  photographs  which  he  finally  carried  out 
with  great  success  and  which  was  really  a  rather  novel 
and  remarkable  contrivance." 

The  next  entries  of  his  journal  describe  the 
visit  to  Philadelphia,  during  which  he  consulted 
the  physicians  and  bought  the  apparatus  for  his 
gymnasium  : 

"  Feb.  4.     Left    for   Philadelphia   at   3:40.     Ar- 
rived at  6:50.     Nate  met  us  at  the  depot  and  we 
54 


Boyhood 

went  right  to  the  house.  .  .  .  Went  to  bed  at  10:30. 
Feb.  5.  Frank  and  Chips  have  no  school  to-day. 
Went  to  see  Doctor  Thomas  and  let  him  examine  my 
throat.  After  that  I  went  to  see  Doctor  Ford,  who 
keeps  a  gymnasium.  Feb.  6.  Boys  went  to  school 
to-day.  Went  to  Wanamaker's.  Got  a  box  of  Seed 
Plates.  Sen  26.  $  .81.  .  .  .  Feb.  7.  Read  a  lot 
of  stories  in  'Chambers'  Journal,'  among'them  'Our 
New  Manager,'  a  very  good  story.  In  the  afternoon 
we  went  to  the  Art  Academy  and  heard  the  Germania 
(Orchestra)  play.  Feb.  8.  Last  night  I  went  to  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  heard  the  Lotus  Glee  Club  of  Bos- 
ton, a  very  fine  entertainment.  Li  the  afternoon  I 
went  skating  on  Centennial  Lake  in  Fairmount  Park. 
Had  a  good  time.  Wrote  to  W.  A.  and  Mamma. 
Feb.  9.  Went  to  Doctor  Ford's  gymnasium  to  find 
out  what  machines  I  would  need  for  my  gys.  Went 
to  Reach's  and  ordered  them.  .  .  .  Feb.  10.  Yes- 
terday I  went  to  Fatimitza  with  Frank.  .  .  .  Coming 
home  from  the  opera  we  saw  the  engines  going  to  a 
fire  and  we  followed  them.  The  fire  was  on  Green 
St.  Went  to  church,  i8th  and  Arch.  .  .  .  Feb, 
13.  Bought  two  developing  pans,  price  ^i.oo. 
Went  to  dime  museum  with  Frank  in  the  afternoon. 
Had  a  right  good  time.  Feb.  14.  Worked  several 
sums  in  arithmetic.  .  .  .  Feb.  16.  Left  for  Harris- 
burg  at  11:00.  Started  to  read  '  The  Moonstone,' 
by  Wilkie  Collins,  a  very  good  book." 

Of  the  other  records  in  his  diary  the  only  ones 
of  special  interest  refer  to  his  poultry  raising  and 
his  photography,  and  a  visit  to  Washington  at  the 
inauguration  of  President  Harrison.  In  connection 
with  the  latter  his  enterprise  and  boyish  self- 
55 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

confidence  were  well  shown  in  a  feat  he  records 
quite  quietly: 

"  Feb.  26.  Went  over  the  bridge  to  take  a  photo- 
graph of  General  Harrison  and  party.  The  snow 
prevented  me  and  I  did  not  get  a  good  one.  Was 
introduced  to  the  GeneraL 

"  Feb.  27.  A  reporter  called  to-day  to  get  a  copy 
of  the  picture  I  took  yesterday.  Of  course  he  got 
one.  Cap.  came  in  the  afternoon  and  we  filled  my 
plate  holders  and  packed. 

"Feb.  28.  Got  orders  for  photographs.  Sent  a 
proof  to  the  Press  to  make  a  cut  from.  Started  for 
Washington  at  3.  Train  was  i  hour  late.  Arrived 
7.  After  supper  Tom  and  I  took  a  walk  and  saw  the 
W.  H.  (White  House). 

"March  i.  Took  a  photograph  of  White  H. 
Visited  the  Capital,  House  and  Senate.  Drove 
through  the  grounds  surrounding  National  Museum 
and  Smithsonian  Institute.  Went  up  the  Washington 
monument.     Called  on  the  editor  of  W.  C. 

"March  3.  Received  4  more  orders  for  photo- 
graph.  .   .   . 

"March  4.  Rain!  Took  a  photograph  of  Gen. 
Harrison  and  Mr.  Cleveland.  Parade  was  fine  in 
spite  of  the  weather.  35,000  men  in  line.  Heard 
from  Cap.  to-day. 

"March  5.  Called  at  the  White  House  and  saw 
the  President  and  his  wife  and  daughter.  Took  a 
photograph  of  the  Capital.  Developed  the  photographs 
of  the  parade.     No  good. 

"March   6,     Took  photographs  of  Treasury  and 
Navy.     Started  for  home  at  9:00.     Arrived  4  o'clock. 
Saw  the  Friendship  (fire)  engine  tested.     A  dozen 
letters  asking  for  photographs  came  to-day.  .  .  . 
56 


Boyhood 

"Marcli  8.  Wrote  to  Washington  for  a  copyright 
of  my  picture.  .  .  .  Answered  12  letters  asking  for 
phot.   .  .   . 

"  March  10.  Went  to  Church  and  Sunday-school. 
Took  a  walk.  Went  to  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  the  Opera 
House,  with  R.  P.,  W.  A.  Very  good  meeting.  Gen. 
Howard  spoke.   .   .  . 

"March  12.  .  .  .  Cleaned  my  dark  room  and 
chicken  coop.   .   .  . 

"March  15.  .  .  .  Ordered  30  lbs.  of  bone  for  my 
chickens.  .   .   . 

"  March  20.  Set  a  hen  with  13  eggs.  Wrote  sev- 
eral letters  about  photographs.   ..." 

This  is  the  last  entry  in  the  only  real  diary  he 
seems  to  have  kept.  It  is  a  boy's  record,  and  it 
shows  in  the  constant  mention  of  "Cap"  and 
certain  familiar  initials  the  warmth  of  a  boy's 
friendships.  The  names  and  addresses  of  these 
friends  are  written  in  the  back  of  the  diary,  and 
under  them  is  the  note,  characteristic  of  his  pa- 
triotic sympathies,  "First  American  Flag  made 
239  Arch  St.,  Phila.,  Pa." 

The  newspapers  made  a  good  deal  of  Hugh's 
courage  in  photographing  General  Harrison.  The 
Lancaster  Intelligencer,  February  27,  1890,  told 
the  story  thus : 

"  Harrison's  Picture  Taken 

"Just  as  the  train  was  leaving  Harrisburg  a  gentle- 
man handed  up  to  Russell  Harrison  a  beautiful  floral 
basket  made  of  Marechal  Niel  and  La  France  roses, 
57 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

with  sprays  of  frisia  and  bunches  of  carnation  pinks 
and  liyacinths.  As  the  train  left  behind  it  the  vener- 
able city  where  General  Harrison's  grandfather  was 
nominated  for  the  Presidency,  the  General,  Mrs.  Har- 
rison, and  the  members  of  the  family  remained  out 
upon  the  platform  some  little  time.  The  train  was 
moving  slowly,  when  a  bright-faced  boy,  wearing 
knit  cap  with  tassels,  and  carrying  a  small  photog- 
rapher's outfit,  ran  beside  the  train  and  called  out 
to  the  General  that  the  train  would  stop  shortly  and 
he  wanted  to  take  his  picture.  The  General  nodded 
his  approval  and  watched  the  zealous  lad  with  inter- 
est as  he  kept  pace  with  the  moving  train.  Opening 
the  door  the  General  called  Russell  and  his  wife  and 
Mrs,  McKee  and  Mrs.  Lord  to  come  out  with  him 
and  Mrs.  Harrison  and  have  their  photographs  taken. 
Of  course,  they  all  complied,  while  the  nurses  held 
Benjamin  and  Mary  McKee  up  at  the  window,  Rus- 
sell's baby,  Marthena,  being  in  the  other  car  at  the 
time.  Finally  the  train  stopped  at  Bridgeport,  just 
across  the  river,  and  the  young  amateur  hastily  ad- 
justed his  tripod,  and,  waving  his  hand  for  them  to 
prepare,  he  uncovered  the  lens  for  a  moment  and 
then  politely  doffed  his  cap.  The  train  moved  up  a 
little,  and  so  did  the  boy,  and  coming  closer,  he 
secured  a  second  picture.  The  General  inquired  his 
name,  and  he  said  it  was  Hugh  Beaver,  and  one  of  the 
crowd  of  boys  called  out  that  he  was  a  son  of  Governor 
Beaver,  whereupon  Mr.  Russell  Harrison  opened  the 
gate  and  assisted  the  little  fellow  up  the  steps,  and  the 
General  shook  his  hand  and  told  him  to  give  his  re- 
gards to  his  father,  the  Governor.  As  the  train  moved 
off,  Mrs.  McKee  requested  the  young  artist  to  send  her 
one  of  the  photographs  and  he  promised  to  do  so, 
provided,  said  he,  '  I  have  secured  a  good  one.'  " 
58 


Boyhood 

Hugh  sent  a  copy  of  this  to  Mr.  Russell  B. 
Harrison  who  was  connected  witii  Frank  Leslie  s 
[Veckly  and  who  had  desired  a  copy  of  it.  He 
received  the  following  reply: 

"  New  York,  September  12th. 
"  Mr.  Hugh  McA.  Beaver, 

' '  Care  of  Governor  Beaver, 
' '  Harrisburg,  Pa. 
"  My  dear  Sir: 

"  I  am  just  in  receipt  of  a  copy  of  the  photo- 
graph you  took  on  the  26th  of  February,  1889,  of  the 
President  and  party  en  route  for  Washington,  in 
which  I  appear.  I  have  been  very  anxious  to  secure 
a  copy  of  this  photograph,  and  1  want  to  thank  you 
sincerely  for  your  courtesy  in  sending  the  same.  It 
is  an  excellent  picture  taken  under  the  difficulties  of 
a  train  switching. 

"As  you  are  a  good  amateur  photographer,  I  want 
to  invite  your  attention  to  the  contest  and  prizes 
offered  by  '  Frank  Leslie's  Illustrated  Newspaper  '  for 
amateur  photographic  work.  We  closed  our  first 
contest  on  the  ist  of  August,  and  a  great  many  of  the 
pictures  entered  in  the  contest  were  published  prior 
to  that  time.  If  you  will  send  some  photographs,  I 
will  see  that  they  are  published,  if  you  would  like  to 
enter  the  contest.  This,  I  think,  would  do  you  good, 
whether  you  arc  awarded  a  prize  or  not. 
"  Yours  very  truly, 

"Russell  B.  Harrison." 

The  "Vance"  mentioned  by  Hugh  was  Vance 
McCormick,  who  was  graduated  from  Yale  Uni- 
versity in  1893,  and  who  was  captain  of  the  Uni- 

59 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

versity  Foot  Ball  Team.  He  has  kindly  written 
out  some  of  his  impressions  of  Hugh  in  these 
Harrisburg  days: 

"I  only  knew  Hugh  intimately  in  Harrisburg  the 
first  year  they  were  here,  for  I  went  to  Andover  tlie 
following  year  and  only  saw  him  at  vacations  and  at 
Bellefonte  in  the  summer. 

"  Hugh  as  I  first  knew  him  was  of  a  bashful  nature, 
and  it  was  always  with  difficulty  that  I  could  get  him 
to  go  with  me  if  there  was  any  danger  of  meeting 
girls.  We  spent  most  of  our  time  at  his  house  in  his 
dark  room  developing  photographs,  and  it  was  during 
the  hours  we  were  patiently  waiting  for  the  pictures  to 
come  out  that  I  got  to  know  him  so  intimately,  and 
we  were  accustomed  to  exchange  confidences.  We 
also  had  heated  arguments  upon  the  relative  merits 
of  Harrisburg  and  Bellefonte.  Hugh  was  always 
loyal  to  his  old  home  and  he  ended  up  every  dis- 
cussion apparently  settled  in  his  own  mind  that 
Bellefonte  was  far  superior  because  they  had  steam 
heat  at  that  time  and  Harrisburg  had  not.  We  spent 
many  pleasant  hours  at  target  practice  and  Hugh  was 
really  a  remarkable  shot  with  a  rifle.  I  remember  at 
a  Division  Encampment  of  the  National  Guards,  he 
shot  an  even  match  with  one  of  the  best  shots  in  the 
state. 

"His  greatest  pleasure  and  ambition  at  that  time 
seemed  to  be  for  a  military  life  and  he  always  longed 
for  the  State  Encampment  which  was  his  particular 
delight,  and  as  a  boy  it  was  remarkable  the  number 
of  friends  Hugh  had  made  among  the  soldiers  of  all 
grades  and  ages. 

"  Before  I  left  for  school  Hugh  was  of  a  very  retir- 
ing nature  and  even  slow  in  getting  to  know  the  boys 
60 


Boyhood 

and  consequently  my  surprise  was  very  great  when 
returning  home  for  vacations  I  found  him  a  leader 
of  our  younger  crowd  of  boys,  having  won  his  way 
into  their  hearts  and  being  loved  by  them  all.  Hugh 
was  always  fond  of  teasing,  and  we  amused  ourselves 
by  playing  numberless  tricks  upon  his  girl  cousins 
who  might  happen  to  have  been  staying  in  the  house, 
such  as  turning  out  the  electriclight  upon  callers,  etc. 
Hugh  always  saw  the  amusing  side  of  everything  and 
I  wish  I  could  recall  some  of  his  brightest  speeches. 
What  strikes  me  most  forcibly  now,  in  Hugh's  char- 
acter as  I  first  knew  him  here  in  Harrisburg,  was  his 
faculty  of  always  doing  well  anything  he  undertook  to 
do,  and  going  into  it  with  his  whole  heart,  and  also 
the  power  of  making  every  one  love  him,  from  the 
servants  up  to  the  highest  officials  in  the  state,  and  his 
loyalty  to  Bellefonte  and  old  friends." 

In  April,  1889,  Hugh  went  with  his  father  to 
New  York  to  the  centennial  celebration  of  Wash- 
ington's first  inauguration  as  president  and  took 
a  number  of  photographs  there.  The  list  of 
these,  carefully  entered  in  a  book  he  kept  for  this 
purpose,  shows  how  judiciously  he  selected  his 
exposures:  "The  Despatch  with  President  Har- 
rison on  board;  Massachusetts  Regiment;  Presi- 
dent Harrison  on  the  way  to  the  reviewing  stand; 
the  Fifth  Maryland;  Governor  Beaver  and  staff; 
United  States  Man  of  War  '  Brooklyn,'  steaming 
up  the  Bay;  the  crowd  corner  Twenty-third 
street,  Fifth  avenue,  and  Broadway  ;  Governor's 
Guard,  Connecticut;  Troops  of  1776;  Richmond 

61 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Blues;  United  States  Calvary;  Seventh  New 
York."  In  September  he  was  at  Gettysburg  and 
took  some  pictures  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment  of 
the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  next 
summer  was  with  his  camera  at  the  state  camp  at 
Mount  Gretna. 

As  has  been  said,  Hugh  preferred  Bellefonte 
to  Harrisburg,  and  in  the  fall  of  1889  he  went 
back  to  Professor  Hughes'  Academy  in  his  home 
town.  Hugh  spent  the  next  year  also  in  Belle- 
fonte where  he  had  charge  of  the  house  and 
many  of  the  family  affairs  which  his  father  en- 
trusted to  him  in  large  measure,  to  develop  his 
sense  of  responsibility  and  his  ability  to  act  with 
sound  judgment.  The  nature  of  some  of  the  in- 
fluences which  were  shaping  the  boy,  and  the 
growth  of  character  in  him  are  illustrated  by  the 
correspondence  which  passed  between  him  and 
his  father  and  mother  at  this  time: 

"Executive  Chamber,  Harrisburg, 
"12  Nov.  1889. 
"My  dear  Hugh: 

"  1  send  you  herewith  a  check  for  $50.  It 
will  be  well  for  you  to  open  an  account  with  one  of 
the  banks,  get  a  little  check  book  and  pay  all  your 
bills  by  check.  You  should  keep  a  regular  cash  ac- 
count so  as  to  know  just  how  you  stand  and  where 
your  money  goes.   .   .   . 

"Do  not  waste  your  money  on  what  will  do  you 
no  good  and  will  look  badly  in  your  cash  %.     I  wish 
62 


Boyhood 

you  to  manage  your  own  affairs — to  exercise  your 
judgment  and  to  become  acquainted  with  business 
methods.  Keeping  a  bank  %  and  a  careful  expense  or 
cash  %  will  help  you  in  all  these  directions.  Strive 
to  be  thoroughly  exact.  If  you  need  any  help  as  to 
the  manner  of  keeping  your  check  book  or  cash  %  you 
can  consult  some  one  in  the  bank  where  you  keep 
your  %. 

"Your  mother  went  to  Phila.  yesterday.  She 
was  quite  disappointed  that  she  did  not  hear  from  you 
before  leaving.  It  will  be  well  to  have  a  regular  time 
for  writing  your  mother  and  never  omit  it.  We  are 
all  anxious  to  hear  from  you  and  your  mother  counts 
much  upon  her  regular  letter  from  you — more  perhaps 
than  you  can  appreciate. 

"  Lovingly  your 

"  Father. 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

"  Bellefonte,  Nov.  13,  1889. 
"Dear  Papa: 

"Your  letter  with  enclosed  check  for 
$50.00  was  received  to-day.  I  thought  as  Gilbert 
had  his  account  with  the  'Centre  Co.  Bank,'  I  had 
better  open  mine  with  the  'First  National,'  so  I  de- 
posited the  $50  with  them.  Will  write  my  first 
check  to-morrow.  ...  I  wrote  to  mamma  on 
Sunday  and  directed  to  181 1  Spring  Garden  St., 
Phila.  I  would  have  written  sooner  but  I  wanted  to 
wait  until  I  had  received  her  usual  Friday  night  letter. 
I  am  looking  forward  with  great  pleasure  toward  her 
visit  here. 

"  With  love  to  all,  I  remain, 

"  Your  affectionate  son, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 
63 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

' '  Executive  Chamber,  Harrisburg. 
"  My  dear  Hugh: 

"...  Tom  has  done  splendid  work  at 
the  farm.  Your  bank  %  might  have  been  I20  or 
$25  larger  if  you  had  gone  out  with  him.  I  am  very 
anxious  that  you  should  learn  the  value  of  a  dollar 
and  there  is  perhaps  no  better  way  than  to  work  for 
it.  .  .  . 

"  Lovingly  your 

"Father. 
"9  July,  1890." 

This  summer  Hugh  and  some  other  boys  went 
on  a  "camping  out"  expedition  and  to  a  letter 
from  the  state  arsenal  keeper  saying  that  he  had 
sent  to  "Captain  Hugh  Beaver,  Bellefonte,  Pa., 

"  I  wall  tent,  fly  and  poles, 

10  wall-shaped  common  tents  and  poles, 

16  tent  pins,  large — 150  tent  pins,  small," 
his  father  added  the  note:  "My  dear  Hugh — I 
suppose  the  tents  have  reached  you.  Hope  you 
will  have  a  good  time.  You  certainly  will  for 
you  go  for  the  pleasure  of  others  than  your- 
self." 

This  same  summer  also  Hugh  went  to  the  camp 
of  the  Pennsylvania  National  Guard  at  Mount 
Gretna.  The  president  visited  this  camp  and 
Hugh  took  a  photograph  of  him  and  his  party. 

Like  most  boys  Hugh  had  been  quiet  and  un- 
expressive  about  his  spiritual  life,  but  he  was 
growing  steadily  year  by  year  and  his  separation 
64 


Boyhood 

from  the  family  tended  to  develop  the  in- 
dependence and  self-reliance  of  his  Christian 
faith.  His  mother's  letters  constantly  emphasized 
the  duty  of  open  confession  and  the  privilege  of 
Christian  discipleship. 

"  Harrisburg,  Oct.  9th,  1889. 
"  My  darling  Son  : 

"  I  wanted  so  much  to  speak  to  you  about 
uniting  with  the  Church  and  say  that  I  would  come 
back  (to  Bellefonte)  if  you  wanted  to  join  next  Sun- 
day, but  I  could  not  see  you  alone.  I  trust  you  have 
given  your  heart  to  the  Lord  and  are  trying  to  follow 
Him.  If  you  haven't  done  so,  do  it  now.  There  is 
no  true  happiness  without  Him.  .  .  . 
"  Your  Loving 

"  Mother." 

"Harrisburg,  April  20th,  1890. 
"My  darling  Sons  : 

"...  I  hope  you  have  had  a  pleasant, 
profitable  Sunday.  Read  what  helps  you  on  your 
Heavenward  journey,  and  try  in  all  things  to  please 
Christ  and  serve  Him.  I  am  glad  to  hear  some  of 
your  companions  have  united  with  the  Church  and 
fondly  hope  and  pray  that  I  will  soon  have  my  dear 
boys  with  me  at  the  communion.  Of  course  the 
most  important  thing  is  to  trust  Christ  to  save  and 
keep  you,  but  it  is  a  help  to  confess  Him  before  men 
and  be  numbered  among  His  followers.  .  .  . 
May  the  Lord  bless  and  keep  you  from  all  evil  is  the 
prayer  of 

"  Your  Loving 

"Mother." 

65 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

On  October  ii,  1890,  Hugh  united  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Bellefonte.  The  same 
month  General  Beaver  wrote  reenforcing  an  invi- 
tation from  his  brother  Gilbert  to  Hugh,  to  at- 
tend the  Pennsylvania  State  Convention  of  the  Y. 
M.  C.  A.,  at  Danville.  And  his  mother  wrote  "I 
think  it  would  be  a  help  to  you  in  your  Christian 
life.  Think  and  pray  about  it."  Hugh's  letter 
on  the  subject  crossed  his  father's: 

"  I  received  a  letter  from  Gilbert  with  reference  to 
my  going  to  the  '  Y.  M.  C.  A.'  Convention  in  Dan- 
ville. I  did  not  think  I  could  afford  to  miss  school 
just  now.     Have  written  to  him  explaining." 

In  the  Spring  of  1891,  Hugh's  military  oppor- 
tunity came,  but  he  had  grown  to  larger  things, 
as  he  conceived  it: 

"419  Walnut  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 

"13  March,  1891. 
"Mv  DEAR  Hugh  : 

"A  letter  reed,  this  a.  m.,  asking  me  to 
write  the  President  in  behalf  of  a  young  man  for 
appt.  to  West  Point,  has  led  me  to  write  you  on  the 
subject.  I  spoke  to  your  mother  the  other  day,  but 
we  both  concluded  that  you  would  not  care  for  the 
appointment.  The  President  will  have  four  cadets 
to  appoint  in  June.  If  you  wanted  to  go  to  West 
Point,  I  have  no  doubt  we  could  get  you  the  place. 
I  do  not  know  that  you  would  like  it  nor  would  I  ad- 
vise you  to  apply  for  it  unless  your  own  tastes  and 
inclinations  lead  you  very  strongly  in  that  direction. 
66 


Boyhood 

The  discipline  is  rigid  and  the  education  whilst  very 
thorough  in  many  respects  is  perhaps  not  so  broad  as 
what  you  would  get  elsewhere.  The  Army  is  likely 
to  become  much  more  desirable  in  the  future  than  it 
has  been,  but  I  do  not  feel  like  urging  this  as  a  con- 
sideration to  be  weighed  in  determining  the  question. 
Give  the  subject  very  careful  consideration,  if  you 
care  to  consider  it  at  all,  and  let  me  know  your  views 
and  I  will  then  be  able  to  answer  the  letter  referred 
to.   .  .  . 

"Affectionately,  your 

'  *  Father. 
"Mr.  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

"Philadelphia,  March  13,  1891. 
"  My  darling  Hugh  : 

"Your  Papa  tells  me  he  has  written  you  on 
the  West  Point  question.  He  thought  it  was  only 
fair  to  let  you  decide  for  yourself.  Of  course  I  hope 
it  will  be  against  it.  At  the  same  time  I  would  not 
oppose  it,  if  your  heart  is  set  that  way.  I  don't  think 
it  is.  We  will  pray  about  it,  dear,  and  trust  you  will 
make  the  right  decision.  .  .  . 

"Your  loving 

"Mother." 

"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  March  15,  1891. 
"  Dear  Papa  : 

"I  had  decided  what  course  to  pursue  in 
regard  to  West  Point  before  I  had  finished  reading 
your  letter,  but  thought  I  had  better  give  the  matter 
further  consideration.  Since  then  I  have  looked  the 
ground  over  carefully  and  decided  to  stick  to  my 
fust  opinion  :  To  stay  at  Bellefonte  and  try  and  make 
P.  S.  C.  (Pennsylvania  State  College)  next  fall.  I 
67 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

have  no  desire  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  my  life  in 
keeping  Indians  on   their  reservations  or  in  loafing 
about  Fort  Monroe  or  some  other  swell  fort.  .  .  . 
"  Your  aff.  son, 

"Hugh  McA." 
"  My  dear  Hugh: 

"I  think  you  are  quite  right  about  West 
Point.  Army  life  at  best  is  not  desirable  for  a  man 
who  wants  to  do  his  share  of  work  and  render  liis 
share  of  help  and  service  in  the  world,  and  it  seems 
hardly  the  thing  to  get  an  education  at  the  expense 
of  the  Government  and  then  resign  the  service.  You 
will  do  better,  I  have  no  doubt,  in  the  matter  of  edu- 
cation, at  P.  S.  C,  and  will,  when  your  education  is 
completed,  be  at  liberty  to  plan  your  life  work  with 
reference  to  the  good  you  can  do  and  the  place  where 
you  can  render  the  best  service  to  your  fellow  men. 

"Your  affectionate 

"  Father. 
"Mr.  Hugh  McA.  Beaver. 
"  17  March,  1891." 

"Phila.,  March  20,  1891. 
"  My  darling  Hugh  : 

"We  are  rejoiced  beyond  measure  at  your 

decision  about  West  Point,  and   truly  thankful  that 

you   want   some   better   way  of  spending  your  life. 

Words  cannot  express  how  happy  you  made  us.   .  .   . 

"  Your  loving 

"  Mother." 

Hugh  was  never  very  careful  about  his  spelling 
and  his  mother  gently  took  him  to  task  in  one 
letter  for  some  mistakes.     His  reply  is  not  pre- 
ss 


Boyhood 

served  but  he  had  a  genial  carelessness  for  strait- 
jackets  of  all  kinds  and  was  ever  buoyantly  full 
of  the  spirit  of  liberty,  though  it  was  a  liberty 
that  kept  its  bounds  almost  infallibly. 

During  his  stay  in  Bellefonte  away  from  the 
family,  save  for  his  younger  brother  Tom's  com- 
pany most  of  the  time,  Hugh  gained  a  great  deal 
of  practical  experience  in  building,  business  and 
practical  affairs.  Many  family  responsibilities 
were  entrusted  to  him,  and  he  got  some  special 
training  in  connection  with  horses.  General 
Beaver  writes  : 

"During  the  last  winter  of  our  stay  at  Harrisburg, 
while  Hugh  and  Tom  were  here  together,  I  allowed 
them  to  bring  in  a  couple  of  horses  from  the  farm  for 
riding  horseback,  provided  they  would  take  good 
care  of  them  themselves.  This  they  did  for,  I  think, 
several  months,  rising  before  breakfast  and  doing  all 
their  stable  work  and  then  changing  their  clothes  and 
taking  breakfast  and  going  to  school  subsequently. 
We  arranged  this  for  several  reasons :  first,  because 
it  was  intimated  to  us  that  taking  care  of  a  horse  was 
good  for  health,  particularly  if  persons  had  a  tendency 
toward  weakness  of  throat  or  lungs,  and  I  had  always 
had  a  very  decided  impression  that  there  was  nothing 
which  would  train  a  boy  as  to  judgment,  self-control, 
kindliness  of  disposition,  etc.,  so  much  as  becoming 
thoroughly  familiar  with  horses.  The  result  was  that 
our  boys  all  grew  up  with  a  very  thorough  knowledge 
of  horses,  of  their  care  and  of  all  the  details  of  hitch- 
ing and  driving  them  and,  after  reading  '  Black 
Beauty,'  which  they  all  did  in  their  early  boyhood, 
69 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

developing  in  them  a  kindliness  toward  and  appreci- 
ation of  horses  which  was  always  very  gratifying  to 
nie." 

His  enterprising  business  ways  are  illustrated 
by  one  of  his  notes  regarding  the  horses  : 

"  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  Sep.  15,  1890. 
"Dear  Papa: 

"  Mr.  Erhard  offers  me  $125  for  the  black 
mare  and  ^15  extra  should  she  prove  to  be  in  foal. 
She  is  12  years  old.  Do  you  think  I  had  better  sell? 
We  can  wean  colt  now.  Has  been  with  mare  for 
almost  3  mo.  Brown  thinks  he  can  get  a  good  young 
mare  in  Va.  for  that.  They  are  cheap  owing  to  lack 
of  food.     Wire  me  as  soon  as  possible, 

**  Your  aff.  son 

"  Hugh  Beaver." 

The  chicken  enterprises  were  not  dropped. 
Hugh  made  an  effort  to  get  from  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Stone,  of  Warren,  a  patent  chicken  coop, 
and  the  following  letter  from  Tom  before  he 
joined  Hugh  in  Bellefonte  throws  light  on  the 
situation  in  Harrisburg, 

"March  20,  1890. 
"  Harrisburg,  Pa. 
"Dear  Brother: 

"  I  set  a  hen  on  the  18,  I  set  her  on  plymouth- 
rock  eggs  and  minorcies  we  separated  them  last 
Saturday,  We  left  the  plymouthrock  chickens  where 
they  were  and  put  the  minorcies  in  that  little  coop 
and  fixed  it  so  they  could  run  out  in  that  little  yard, 
I  got  4  eggs  from  the  minorcies 
70 


Boyhood 

"We  put  that  biggest  rooster  in  the  little  coop  and 
left  the  other  where  he  was. 

"  I  am  coming  up  on  the  31  of  march, 

"  Your  loving  brother 
"  Thomas  Beaver," 

Although  Hugh  was  not  always  strong  and 
well  during  these  winters  when  He  was  away  from 
the  family  he  never  spoke  of  any  little  illnesses  and 
the  thought  of  being  coddled  as  an  invalid  was 
very  repugnant  to  him.  His  mother  was  obliged 
in  her  correspondence  with  him  constantly  to  ap- 
peal to  be  told  whether  he  was  well.  "  is  your 
cold  entirely  well?"  she  writes.  "You  never 
speak  of  your  health."  There  was  great  depth  of 
self-knowledge  in  Hugh  which  developed  with 
his  years,  but  his  boyhood  was  too  sunny  and 
unselfish  to  be  subjective,  it  was  of  more  im- 
portance to  think  of  some  kindly  service  of 
others  or  of  some  genial  playfulness  than  of  how 
he  felt.  Whether  he  was  sick  or  not  was  of 
slight  consequence  to  him.  He  was  concerned  to 
be  happy  and  to  make  others  happy. 

Hugh's  younger  brother  recalls  several  inci- 
dents of  these  days: 

"In  the  summer  of  '89  or '90,  while  at  Spring 
Lake,  there  was  a  little  thing  happened  which  showed 
his  great  fondness  for  swimming.  Not  satisfied  with 
his  long  swims  in  the  ocean,  when  he  would  go  out 
farther  than  any  one  else,  to  the  great  fear  of  the  life- 
71  / 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

savers,  he  wanted  to  take  a  swim  in  the  Lake  which 
was  fresh  water,  but  he  did  not  know  how  to  escape 
the  fine  for  bathing  there.  One  day  while  out  boat- 
ing he  solved  the  problem.  He  decided  that  when 
out  about  the  middle  of  the  Lake  he  would  fall  out  of 
the  boat  and  then  swim  for  the  shore.  At  the  time 
there  were  a  number  of  people  about  so  he  could  not 
deliberately  fall  over.  He  took  off  his  coat  and  be- 
gan to  row  but  somehow  he  lost  an  oar  and  as  he  was 
reaching  for  it  he  fell  out  of  the  boat,  got  the  oar, 
gave  it  to  us  and  swam  for  the  shore.  He  had  two 
reasons  for  doing  this — one  was  to  swim  in  the  Lake 
and  the  other  was  his  desire  to  see  whether  he  could 
swim  with  all  his  clothes  on. 

"  Li  the  fall  or  winter  of  'go-'pi,  while  staying 
with  his  aunt  Mrs.  Orbison,  there  was  a  little  incident 
happened  that  showed  his  bravery  and  recklessness. 
While  sitting  in  his  room  in  the  front  part  of  the 
house  on  the  second  floor,  he  heard  the  front  door  open 
but  did  not  hear  it  close  ;  thinking  it  was  some  per- 
son that  had  no  business  there  he  ran  quickly  out  of 
his  room  and  down  the  stairs.  As  he  did  so  he  heard 
a  rumpus  downstairs  and  the  noise  of  some  one 
jumping  off  the  porch.  He  followed  him  and  ran  some 
way  down  the  street  thinking  he  might  scare  him,  so 
he  would  drop  anything  that  he  had  taken." 

Hugh  had  already  begun  to  take  a  strong  inter- 
est in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  on  April  5,  1891,  he  writes  to  his  father: 

"  I  have  been  planning  to  write  to  you  about  the 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  for  the  last  week  and  take  this  evening 

as  the  only  available  time.    We  are  in  very  bad  shape 

and  if  the  people  don't  give  a  little  more  generously 

72 


Boyhood 

will  go  under.  A  notice  tacked  on  the  door  now  an- 
nounces that  the  property  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  will  be 
sold  at  lo  o'clock  Tuesday,  April  7.  375  dollars 
would  clear  us  entirely  and  we  would  be  able  to  start 
out  without  a  cent  of  debt  of  any  kind.  During  the 
last  week  a  subscription  paper  has  been  circulated  ; 

about  $1^0  raised.    Mr. put  his  name  down  for 

the  magnificent  sum  of  $j.oo.  That  tells  the  whole 
story.  When  a  man  of  Mr.  's  position  sub- 
scribes an  amt.  like  that  there  seems  to  be  no  danger 
of  any  one  going  above  it.  You  told  me  when  you 
were  up  here  last  that  you  would  give  1^50.00  dollars 
toward  the  debt.  Would  you  be  willing  to  give  that 
now  on  condition  that  the  whole  amount  ($375)  be 
raised?  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Bailey  and  told  him  what  you 
said  on  the  subject.  The  sale  will  probably  be  post- 
poned a  week  in  order  to  give  us  a  better  chance.  If 
I  could  hear  from  you  as  to  whether  I  can  put  your 
name  down  for  ;^5o.oo  before  the  committee  call  on 

Judge .  and  several  of  the  richer  men,  it  might 

have  a  very  good  effect.  might  even  be  pre- 
vailed upon  to  raise  his  subscription.  The  district 
convention  meets  here  on  the  10,  11  and  12  of  April, 
and  some  enthusiasm  may  be  aroused  among  the 
Christian  people  of  Bellefonte.  At  any  event  a  can- 
vass of  the  town  will  be  made  for  subscriptions  for 
the  running  expenses  of  the  Association.  .   .  . 

"  Please  excuse  the  way  this  letter  is  written  for  I 
am  very  tired  and  sleepy  and  find  it  hard  work  to 
think  at  all. 

"  Please  don't  postpone  opening  the  house  again. 
It  is  such  a  disappointment  and  we  look  forward  to 
the  21  of  April  with  much  pleasure.  With  love  to  all. 
"  Your  affectionate  son 
"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 
73 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Hugh  completed  in  the  spring  of  1891,  at  the 
Bellefonte  Academy,  his  preparation  for  college. 
The  impression  he  left  behind  him  is  indicated 
in  a  letter  from  Mr.  J.  R.  Hughes,  a  Princeton 
graduate,  who  with  his  father  conducted  the 
academy,  written  to  General  Beaver  after  Hugh's 
death : 

"  It  is  almost  impossible  to  realize  that  the 
dearly  loved,  thoroughly  good,  ever  smiling,  ever 
helping,  popular  and  active  Christian  is  no  more 
so  far  as  this  life  is  concerned.  .  .  .  Such  sunny 
lives  are  rare  and  with  difficulty  to  be  replaced. 
Hugh  lived  so  as  to  be  missed.  ...  To  know 
Hugh  was  to  love  him." 

Into  this  recollection  of  his  boyhood  days, 
however,  something  of  what  Hugh  afterward 
became  is  imported.  Life  was  not  very  serious 
to  the  boy  yet.  Hugh  himself  was  accustomed 
later  to  regard  this  period  of  his  life,  as  a  close 
friend  remembers,  "as  the  one  of  greatest  temp- 
tation and  indifference.  The  books  he  read  and 
other  influences  almost  carried  him  away.  He 
referred  to  it  very  often  as  having  gone  'just  to 
the  edge'  and  he  firmly  believed  it  was  his  moth- 
er's prayers  that  had  kept  him." 

He  was  just  a  happy  boy  with  few  "trailing- 

clouds  of  glory,"  but  with  a  great  deal  of  hearty 

human  spirit  and  possibilities  for  a  life  of  happy 

usefulness,  a  life  of  merry  selfishness  or  a  life  of 

74 


Boyhood 

frivolous  commonness.    And  yet  there  were  deep 
assurances  that  his  life  would  not  be  wasted. 

None  loved  Hugh  better  or  esteemed  him  more 
dearly  in  these  boyhood  days  than  the  family 
servants.  "  When  1  think  of  him/'  one  of  them 
wrote,  "it  is  of  a  manly  little  fellow  in  knee 
trousers,  whose  affection  for  the  baby  (a  little 
brother  named  James,  who  died  in  Harrisburg) 
seemed  too  great  for  words  and  found  expression 
in  tender  touches  and  looks  of  unutterable  love. 
1  remember  him  as  the  gentlest  boy  to  his  mother 
and  the  most  courteous  to  her  friends  of  any  boy 
I  knew."  A  wonderfully  affectionate  boy  he 
was,  almost  never  passing  his  mother  without  a 
kiss,  and  a  boy  of  endless  merriment  and  natural 
joy.  "Jimmie,"  he  would  invariably  call  out  to 
a  servant  who  had  been  with  the  family  for  fif- 
teen years,  when  he  saw  him,  ''  ain't  I  the  best  of 
the  Beavers  ?"  And  Jimmie  who  loved  him  and 
thought  him  perfect  and  who  understood,  would 
reply,  "Yes,  when  you're  asleep." 


75 


IV 


COLLEGE  LIFE 

"  And  though  that  he  were  worthy,  he  was  wys 
And  of  his  part  as  meeke  as  is  a  mayde, 
He  nevere  yet  no  vileynye  ne  sayde 
In  al  his  lyf  un-to  no  maner  wight. 
He  was  a  verray  parfit,  gentil  knyght." 

— Chaucer,  The  Canterbury  Tales. 

The  early  part  of  the  summer  of  1891  Hugh 
spent  at  home,  but  the  latter  part  he  spent  in  vis- 
iting friends  at  Spring  Lake  and  elsewhere.  Con- 
stant letters  from  his  mother  reminded  him  of 
the  things  that  are  most  worth  while.  Referring 
to  some  influences  that  had  touched  Hugh  before 
he  left  home,  she  wrote,  "1  trust  that  what 
you  have  heard  will  lead  you  to  consecrate  your 
life  more  fully  to  the  dear  Master's  service." 
There  was  constant  expression  also  of  motherly 
solicitude  for  him  which  he  answered  with  the 
truest  love. 

In  September  he  entered  the  freshman  class  of 
the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  at  State  College, 
Centre  County,  a  village  about  twelve  miles  from 
Bellefonte.  The  college  owed  its  establishment 
to  Hugh's  grandfather,  Mr.  McAllister.  As  Gov- 
ernor Curtin  said  in  the  constitutional  convention: 
76 


College  Life 

"  He  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  in 
Pennsylvania  a  school  where  farming  would  be 
taught  as  the  chief  part  of  a  complete  education 
.  .  .  and  while  other  men  faltered  and  hesitated 
under  disappointment^  when  the  school  would 
have  failed  over  and  over  again,  the  energy  and 
persistence  of  this  man  kept  it  alive,  and  before 
his  death  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  in 
successful  operation;  and  there  is  not  to-day,  in 
all  this  great  commonwealth,  a  more  success- 
ful educational  institution  than  the  Farmer's  Col- 
lege of  Pennsylvania." 

Through  Mr.  McAllister's  influence  General 
James  Irvin  gave  a  valuable  farm  in  Penn's  Valley 
as  the  site  for  the  school  and  Mr.  McAllister's  in- 
domitable resolution  accomplished  the  rest.  After 
his  death  Hugh's  father  was  chosen  trustee  in  his 
place,  and  was  for  many  years  president  of  the 
board  of  trustees.  The  scope  of  the  institution 
broadened  greatly.  It  ceased  to  be  a  farm  school 
and  became  an  agricultural  college,  and  when 
Hugh  entered,  it  differed  not  greatly  from  any 
good  scientific  school.  In  1893  a  school  of  mines 
was  added.  The  relations  of  Hugh's  family  with 
the  State  College  were  so  close  that  both  he  and 
his  brothers  did  not  think  of  going  elsewhere. 
Moreover  the  State  College  was  of  high  grade 
and  did  thorough  work  and  it  had  the  advan- 
tage of  being  near  Bellefonte.     Also  it  was  a 

77 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Pennsylvania  institution,  and  pride  in  the  state 
and  desire  to  be  identified  thoroughly  with  the 
life  of  the  state  were  powerful  motives  always 
with  Hugh. 

When  Hugh  entered  college  he  was  a  Christian 
in  his  convictions  and  his  life,  but  he  was  not 
specially  pronounced,  and  the  quality  of  his  Chris- 
tian life  did  not  differ  from  the  usual  type  among 
students.  There  was  nothing  extraordinary  in 
his  own  personal  experience  or  in  his  Christian 
activity  among  his  fellows.  He  was  a  straight- 
forward, genial,  sunny-hearted  boy,  but  the  more 
serious  problems  of  an  earnest  life  lay  before  him 
and  the  deeper  springs  of  his  character  and 
power  were  still  sealed.  A  letter  from  an  older 
friend  who  knew  him  well  and  who  had  been 
out  of  college  for  several  years  will  indicate  the 
stage  of  Hugh's  development  on  entering  college. 
The  course  he  would  pursue  could  not  be  so 
definitely  counted  upon  as  to  make  a  brotherly 
word  of  counsel  out  of  place: 

"  September  4,  1891. 
"Mv  Dear  Hugh  : 

' '  It  must  be  pretty  nearly  time  for  you  to  go 
over  to  the  College  to  commence  operations,  and  I  just 
wanted  to  send  you  my  very  heartiest  good  wishes  for 
a  pleasant,  successful  and  useful  year.  Just  how 
much  usefulness  can  be  crowded  into  a  year  in  col- 
lege, especially  the  first  and  last  years,  you  will  know 
78 


College  Life 

better  five  years  from  now.     Experience  is  about  the 
only  teacher  from  whom  it  can  be  learned. 

"  There  are  two  things  hard  to  do  in  college — two 
changes  hard  to  make.  One  is  to  climb  up  when  you 
are  down,  and  the  otlier  is  to  tumble  down  when  you 
are  up.  After  the  first  few  months  a  fellow  is  asso- 
ciated in  every  one's  mind  with  a  certain  kind  of  life 
and  character.  If  it  is  a  low  one,  it  is  hard  for  him 
to  rise  from  it  because  his  efforts  will  be  viewed  with 
some  suspicion  and  often  scorn.  If  it  is  a  high  one, 
he  will  be  saved  often  from  lowering  his  colors  be- 
cause he  has  a  good  name  he  cannot  afford  to  tarnish. 

"  I  believe  that  with  the  majority  of  fellows  the 
first  few  months  determine  their  whole  course  and 
often  their  whole  life.  You  understand,  of  course, 
what  I  am  driving  at,  Hugh,  that  a  fellow  wants  to 
be  a  first-class  Cluistian  from  the  first  day  to  the  last, 
that  he  ought  to  run  up  his  flag  at  the  first  opportunity 
and  never  strike  it  though  sometimes  lie  feels  he  is 
flying  the  colors  by  himself.  He  will  be  glad  of  it 
after  awhile,  and  other  fellows  whom  perhaps  he  never 
dreamed  he  was  helping,  will  be  glad,  too.  I  have 
met  plenty  of  college  men  whose  great  regret  for  their 
college  course  was  that  they  had  not  been  better 
Christians.  I  never  met  a  man  who  wished  he  had 
been  a  worse  one. 

"  I  shall  pray  that  God  will  give  you  a  useful  and 
happy  year  and  that  you  may  be  one  of  His  own  men 
all  the  time  you  are  in  college  and  forever. 

"  Your  sincere  friend 


This  was  a  view  of  the  matter  that  appealed  to 
Hugh  and  he  wrote  of  this  letter  to  his  mother, 
who  said  in  her  reply: 

79 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"I  hope,  darling,  you  have  learned  the  com- 
fort of  taking  'everything  to  God  in  prayer.' 
Nothing  is  too  trifling.  Be  sure  to  pray  before 
leaving  your  room  in  the  morning.  We  need 
our  Father's  help  and  guidance  in  all  that  we  do." 
It  was  possible  of  course  for  Hugh  to  go  home 
frequently  from  college,  but  in  addition  to  his 
constant  visits  almost  daily  letters  came  to  him 
from  home,  and  these  brought  constant  remind- 
ers of  the  true  life:  "May  the  Lord  bless  you 
and  make  you  a  worker  in  His  vineyard";  "  May 
the  Lord  bless  you  and  enable  you  to  live  a  con- 
sistent, useful  life  to  His  praise  and  glory  is  the 
prayer  of  your  loving  mother";  "God  bless 
and  keep  you  from  all  evil";  "May  the  Lord 
bless  you  and  enable  you  at  all  times  to  show 
that  you  are  a  soldier  of  the  Cross." 

At  the  opening  of  Hugh's  sophomore  year  he 
was  still  needing  gentle  stimulus  from  without. 
To  be  a  silent,  common  Christian  in  college,  liv- 
ing a  clean  life,  but  of  negative  power  is  one 
thing.  To  be  an  out-and-out,  earnest,  positive 
Christian  in  college  is  quite  another  thing  and 
much  harder  than  a  loving,  buoyant  life  in  the 
calm  holiness  of  a  Christian  home.  And  though 
pure  and  unselfish,  Hugh  was  awaking  rather  to 
the  social  attractiveness  of  life  than  to  its  deep 
solemnities.  It  was  natural,  perhaps,  that  he 
should  develop  in  this  way.  All  things  come  in 
80 


College  Life 

their  time  and  what  Hugh  was  passing  through 
were 

"  The  earlier  grooves 
Which  ran  the  laughing  loves 
Around  the  base." 

It  was  part  of  the 

"  Machinery  just  meant 
To  give  his  soul  its  bent, 
Try  him  and  turn  him  forth,  sufficiently  impressed." 

The  deeper  notes  were  sounding  in  his  life  but 
at  a  distance.  They  were  to  become  dominant 
before  he  went  much  further.  Meanwhile  he 
was  kept  in  mind  of  them.  Thus  Gilbert  wrote 
at  the  beginning  of  Hugh's  second  year: 

"Sept.  15,  1892. 
"My  dear  Hugh: 

"  I  hope  that  you  are  going  to  be  at  the  first 
meeting  of  the  College  Association  this  coming  Sun- 
day,— not  that  I  am  going  to  suggest  that  you  make 
a  speech  for  there  are  other  things  more  needed  than 
speeches  at  such  a  time ;  but  I  do  wish  that  to  the 
hand-shaking  and  good  fellowship  you  might  add  in 
the  meeting  a  word  or  two  in  an  off-hand,  informal 
way  that  would  show  the  new  students  very  clearly 
that  your  sympathies  are  with  the  work  for  which  the 
Association  stands  at  P.  S.  C,  and  that  might  lead 
some  of  them  to  show  their  colors  before  the  close  of 
the  meeting. 

"  We  cannot  very  easily  imagine  how  much  of  the 
future  of  these  new  students  at  State  College  is  depend- 
ing on  their  first  few  days  there,  and  on  this  first 
81 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

student  religious  meeting.  I  hope  they  will  turn  out 
in  good  numbers,  and  be  made  to  feel  at  home.  I 
know  that  you  can  help  to  bring  this  about  and  to 
show  them  that  our  religion  helps  to  make  us  '  all 
round  men '  and  bring  joy  and  not  gloom  into  our 
life;  and  so  I  send  you  these  few  lines  with  my  best 
wishes  for  a  good  and  happy  year. 

*' Affectionally  your  brother 
"  Gilbert  A.  Beaver." 

His  mother  reenforced  this  counsel. 

Hugh  threw  himself  into  all  the  interests  of  his 
college  life  with  characteristic  enthusiasm.  He 
was  not  strong  enough  to  take  part  in  any  of  the 
rougher  games  but  he  could  take  his  share  in 
track  athletics  and  won  a  place  as  a  runner  in 
the  contests  in  his  own  college. 

In  the  fall  of  1892,  he  tried  for  the  position  of 
half-back  on  the  class  football  team  and  no 
doubt  would  have  secured  it,  because  of  his 
quickness  and  swiftness  in  running,  but  he  gave 
it  up  on  account  of  his  heart  which  was  not 
strong.  In  the  winter  of  1893,  at  the  indoor 
sports  he  entered  the  220  yards  dash  and  won  it, 
but  he  gave  up  running  also  after  this  on  account 
of  his  heart. 

In  the  Athletic  Association  of  which  he  was 
president  in  1 894-1 89s,  he  was  very  active  look- 
ing up  recruits  for  both  the  baseball  team  and  the 
football  team  and  he  would  visit  different  parts 
of  the  state  in  the  interest  of  the  Association.  If 
82 


College  Lile 

he  heard  of  good  athletes  in  preparatory  schools 
he  would  work  earnestly  to  persuade  them  to 
come  to  State  College.  He  took  great  delight  in 
encouraging  the  teams.  His  sunny  hopefulness, 
and  his  playful  humor  fitted  him  for  such  work 
and  he  led  the  cheering  in  behalf  of  the  college 
in  contests  with  teams  from  other  institutions. 
He  was  indefatigable  in  using  athletics  to  adver- 
tise his  college  and  in  this  he  was  aided  and 
abetted  by  his  father  who  suggested  fresh  ways 
of  bringing  the  college  before  the  public  and  en- 
larging the  number  of  students  and  so  improving 
the  teams,  apart  from  the  major  aim  of  enlarging 
the  usefulness  of  the  institution  : 

"  If  you  hear  of  desirable  fellows  for  next  year,  go 
for  them  systematically.  Flood  them  with  literature 
— Free  Lance,  La  Vie,  catalogues,  photographs,  &c. 
If  any  of  the  teams  are  taken  have  extras  to  send  out. 
Get  all  the  fellows  to  work  enthusiastically  and  we 
will  have  a  freshman  class  of  loo  for  '96.  You  will 
then  have  material  to  select  from  independent  of  the 
special  cases.  Take  this  matter  in  your  hands  and 
show  what  kind  of  stuff  you  are  made  of. 
"  Affectionately  your 

"  Father. 

"  23  May,  1892." 

Hugh  won  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  his 
associates  in  the  Athletic  Association  and  one  of 
its  members  in  transmitting  some  resolutions  later 
added: 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"Such  a  document  doesn't  seem  to  me  to  allow  of 
the  full  expression  of  our  feelings.  There  certainly 
never  was  a  man,  in  any  capacity,  who  stood  nearer 
to  the  hearts  of  the  students  here,  than  did  Hugh. 
He  never  met  one  but  his  hearty  hand-grasp  and  his 
cheery  greeting  went  straight  to  the  heart  and 
warmed  it.  1  am  putting  it  mildly,  when  I  say  that 
every  man  here,  who  knew  him,  feels  his  loss  to  be 
almost  a  personal  one." 

The  subjects  of  the  essays  and  orations  which 
Hugh  wrote  in  college  indicate  the  range  of  his 
special  sympathies.  He  was  very  practical  and 
two  of  his  papers  are  on  "Hypnotism"  and 
"Great  Inventions  of  this  Century."  All  the 
others  are  political  or  historical.  He  was  in- 
tensely American.  The  bright  optimism  of  his 
nature  characterized  his  views  of  the  history,  the 
present  condition  and  the  future  of  American  in- 
stitutions. He  scorned  that  spirit  of  self-satisfac- 
tion and  pride  of  opinion  which  is  always  carp- 
ing at  our  national  conditions  and  prophesying 
doom  and  disaster  unless  some  special  political 
nostrum  or  the  prejudices  and  refined  notions  of 
some  little  clique  or  caste  can  be  forced  down  the 
throats  of  the  people.  Like  Henry  Grady  he 
"always  bet  on  sunshine  in  America."  And  so 
his  college  essays  and  speeches  are  full  of  ex- 
pressions of  admiration  and  patriotism.  Thus 
he  closes  an  essay  on  "The  Puritans,"  "The  last 
tie  that  bound  them  to  their  old  home  is  severed. 

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College  Life 

So  the  fight  for  liberty  goes  on,  and  thus  through 
hardships,  sufferings  and  sacrifice,  the  great  re- 
public of  the  west  shall  rise  to  be  a  leader  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth  and  above  all  a  God-fear- 
ing people."  In  an  essay  on  "The  Effect  of  the 
Norman  Conquest  upon  the  English  Language," 
he  is  sure  that  "The  English  is  the  greatest  lan- 
guage on  the  globe,"  and  in  "Salem  in  1692"  he 
thinks  "It  is  only  fair  to  add  that  none  of  the 
barbarous  tortures  practiced  in  Europe  (upon 
those  condemned  for  witchcraft)  were  used  upon 
those  put  to  death  in  this  country,"  and  a  char- 
acteristic opinion  about  the  unjustifiableness  of 
any  lie  is  suggested  by  the  next  sentence,  "In 
justice  to  those  executed,  and  to  their  honor  it 
may  be  said  that  they  preferred  death  to  a  life 
saved  by  a  lie  and  went  to  the  gallows  with  con- 
science clear  of  falsehood."  Among  "Reflec- 
tions on  the  Naval  Review"  of  1893,  he  imagined 
Columbus  looking  on  and  finding  consolation  for 
all  his  sufferings  "when  he  sees  this  mighty 
land,  his  great  discovery,  and  knows  that  he  was 
the  instrument  'in  God's  hand '  in  finding  this 
land  of  refuge  for  the  oppressed  and  in  sowing 
the  seed  of  a  happy,  free  nation,  '  The  Mother  of 
Exiles.'"  Perhaps  he  was  thinking  of  his  Hu- 
guenot ancestor,  George  Beaver.  He  took  a 
great  pride  in  the  navy  and  in  "Our  Navy,  Past 
and  Present"  spoke  of  it  as  "a  navy  not  large  in 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

numbers  to  be  sure,  but  one  in  which  America 
has  shown  and  shows  to-day  its  superiority  over 
all  others."  He  was  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of 
the  annexation  of  Hawaii.  "Humboldt,"  he 
wrote,  "predicted  that  in  time  the  commerce  of 
the  Pacific  would  rival  that  of  the  Atlantic.  The 
great  powers  realize  that  that  prophecy  is  to 
come  true.  They  have  taken  measures  to  protect 
their  interests.  One  by  one  the  islands  of  the 
Pacific  have  been  taken  until  Samoa  and  Hawaii 
alone  remain.  Our  government  alone,  the  one 
above  all  most  interested,  has  neglected  it.  Are 
we  to  allow  this  golden  opportunity  to  pass  from 
us  ?  Will  we  permit  the  one  available  port  to 
pass  into  hands  other  than  our  own;  to  be  a  con- 
stant menace  to  our  coast  as  well  as  our  com- 
merce— and  then  like  Spain  bewail  the  Gibraltar 
lost,  like  France,  the  Egypt  gone."  Hugh  held 
also  most  zealous  political  views.  He  had  a 
great  admiration  for  Mr,  Blaine;  he  assailed  the 
hicome  Tax  as  impracticable,  however  theoret- 
ically just;  and  he  lamented  in  a  manly  speech 
the  result  of  the  presidential  election  of  1892.  A 
good  deal  of  his  political  enthusiasm  was  trans- 
ferred to  other  things  later,  but  he  never  lost  his 
intense  interest  and  conviction. 

Early  in  the  freshman  year  Hugh  became  a 
member  of  the  Alpha  Upsilon  Chapter  of  Beta 
Theta  Pi.     His  father  had  been  a  member  of  this 

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fraternity  at  Jefferson  College  and  his  brother, 
Gilbert,  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
chapter  at  State  College.  One  who  was  closely 
associated  with  him  in  promoting  the  chapter's 
interests  writes: 

"Hugh  entered  with  the  real  Beta  spirit,  beheving 
that  in  Beta  Theta  Pi  was  the  fullest  opportunity  for 
true  fraternal  companionship.  His  additional  in- 
fluence brought  in  his  youngest  brother,  Thomas. 
.  .  .  Any  mention  of  Hugh  Beaver  as  a  Beta 
must  include  his  splendid  work  in  connection  with 
the  chapter-house  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  chapter. 
The  same  enthusiasm  characterized  all  his  fraternity 
associations.  From  his  initiation  he  felt  that  the 
chapter  should  have  a  house  of  its  own,  and  when  the 
movement  was  started  he  enlisted  in  it  with  great 
heartiness.  He  determined  that  though  only  six 
years  old,  the  chapter  should  have  a  house  second  to 
none,  and  until  its  completion  he  was  managing 
director  in  charge  of  construction.  His  marked  busi- 
ness ability  well  fitted  him  for  the  work.  He  con- 
sulted on  plans,  supervised  the  work,  negotiated  the 
finances,  and,  in  fact,  gave  himself  so  completely  to 
the  task  that  he  was  familiar  with  the  smallest  details. 
His  time  and  money  were  freely  offered." 

This  house  was  completed  in  the  spring  of 
1895.  Hugh  relished  much  the  task  that  was 
committed  to  him  and  he  was  the  life  of  the 
banquets  known  in  the  vernacular  of  the  chapter 
as  "Dorg,"  for  which  he  was  one  of  the  most 
bountiful  providers.     In  the  winter  the  members 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

of  the  fraternity  living  in  the  house  took  monthly 
turns  in  caring  for  the  furnace.  During  Hugh's 
month  he  fixed  up  an  arrangement  of  cords  and 
pulleys  which  he  attached  to  an  alarm  clock  in 
such  a  way  that  in  the  morning  the  alarm  fixed 
the  dampers  on  the  furnace  automatically  and 
saved  him  the  labor  of  going  down  into  the  base- 
ment to  do  it  himself. 

It  was  during  the  summer  succeeding  his 
sophomore  year  that  "the  light  whose  dawning 
maketh  all  things  new,"  began  to  break  upon 
Hugh.  He  and  his  brothers  were  going  to  the 
Exposition  in  Chicago  together,  out  of  which 
they  got  as  much  enjoyment  and  instruction  as 
was  possible  for  American  boys. 

From  the  Exposition  Hugh  wrote  to  his  mother 
on  Sunday,  June  i8. 

"  Sunday  is  almost  over  and  soon  we  will  be  on 
our  sight-seeing  tour  again.  It  has  been  indeed  a 
day  of  rest  for  us  and  a  most  welcome  one.  This 
A.  M.  we  went  to  hear  Moody  preach  up  near  Van 
Buren  St.  There  was  a  big  fire  up  in  tliat  section, 
so  we  had  a  chance  to  see  a  real  Chicago  fire.  There 
were  thirty-nine  engines  on  hand  and  the  fire  was 
under  control.  Had  been  burning  since  three  o'clock. 
The  church  services  were  held  in  Forepaugh's  circus 
tent  and  proved  most  interesting.  As  we  entered  we 
had  to  pass  through  the  animal  tent  and  here  the 
crowd  were  viewing  the  monkeys,  feeding  the 
elephants  peanuts,  buying  lemonade,  etc.,  just  like  a 
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College  Life 

circus  day  at  home.  The  sermon  ended  we  came 
down  on  the  cars  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  in  rest. 
As  I  sit  here  the  sound  of  the  Scotch  bag  pipes,  the 
drums  of  the  South  Sea  Islanders  and  of  a  band  playing 
'America'  comes  to  me  from  the  Fair.  Everything 
seems  to  be  in  full  blast.  Where  we  had  church  this 
morning,  the  circus  will  be  this  afternoon  and  even- 
ing.    It's  a  strange  place,  this  Chicago." 

An  intimate  friend  who  watched  Hugh's  de- 
velopment says: 

"in  writing  to  me  from  the  Fair,  I  was  sur- 
prised to  have  him  almost  ignore  the  Exhibition 
and  fill  his  letter  with  a  description  of  Mr. 
Moody's  Sunday  meeting  in  the  tent.  He  went 
he  said  from  a  sense  of  duty  to  keep  the  Sabbath, 
and  from  curiosity  to  hear  Mr.  Moody,  but  came 
away  very  much  impressed  with  the  services  and 
the  large  crowd  of  people  that  had  left  the  Fair 
to  attend  the  meeting.  At  the  close  of  the  serv- 
ices he  and  some  others  collected  the  hymn 
books  for  Mr.  Moody." 

in  connection  with  this  trip  Gilbert  succeeded 
in  persuading  Hugh  and  Tom  to  go  to  the  sum- 
mer conference  for  Bible  study  at  Lake  Geneva, 
Wisconsin,  held  for  the  students  of  the  colleges 
lying  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  A  letter  from  Gilbert  to  his  mother 
shows  how  steadily  the  influences  toward  the 
larger  life  were  constraining  Hugh: 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  June  5,  '93. 
"  My  dear  Mother  : 

"...  You  may  remember  that  I  mentioned 
the  matter  of  Hugh's  going  (to  Lake  Geneva)  and 
something  came  up  that  prevented  our  talking  it 
through.  However,  I  know  how  desirous  you  have 
been  to  have  him  attend  one  of  these  student  gather- 
ings the  last  two  years;  and  he  will  be  so  near 
Geneva  this  year  in  point  of  time  and  distance  that  I 
feci  sure  you  and  papa  will  agree  that  he  ought  not  to 
miss  the  opportunity  when  he  has  only  one  otlier 
summer  vacation  between  college  years,  and  when  he 
has  his  two  years  as  an  upper  classman  before  him. 
As  for  Tom  what  better  preliminary  could  he  have  to 
his  college  course,  and  what  will  help  him  to  enter  it 
with  as  true  a  sense  of  the  relative  importance  of 
things?  .  .  . 

"  Affectionately  your  son, 

"Gilbert  A.  Beaver." 

Gilbert  had  endeavored  to  get  Hugh  to  the  con- 
ference at  Northfield  the  preceding  summer  but 
had  not  been  successful.  These  summer  gather- 
ings of  students  have  become  a  valuable  part  of 
the  Christian  forces  working  for  young  men. 
They  began  in  the  summer  of  1886,  when  about 
two  hundred  students  accepted  Mr.  Moody's  in- 
vitation to  spend  some  weeks  at  Mount  Hermon, 
Massachusetts,  for  the  study  of  the  Bible  and  for 
general  conference  as  to  Christian  and  missionary 
work.  The  next  year  this  gathering  was  held  at 
Northfield,  Massachusetts,  about  five  miles  from 

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College  Life 

Mount  Hermon,  and  the  place  of  Mr.  Moody's 
home,  and  the  seminary  for  young  women  which 
he  had  established.  At  Mount  Hermon  was  his 
corresponding  school  for  boys.  Each  year  since, 
such  a  conference  for  students  from  colleges, 
universities  and  preparatory  schools  has  been 
held.  To  reach  all  sections  of  the  country,  how- 
ever, and  both  young  men  and  young  women,  it 
has  become  necessary  to  hold  whenever  possible 
eight  conferences,  four  for  young  men  and  four 
for  young  women,  the  latter  held  usually  after 
the  former  but  at  the  same  places.  During  the 
summer  of  1898,  the  conferences  were  held  at 
Northfield,  Mass.,  Asheville,  N.  C,  Lake  Geneva, 
Wis.,  Oakland,  Cal.,  though  only  a  young  men's 
conference  was  held  on  the  Pacific  coast.  It  was 
the  Lake  Geneva  conference  which  Hugh  attended 
this  summer  of  1893,  and  there  he  began  to  see  the 
great  vision,  and  the  interests  of  his  life  took  new 
proportion. 

Lake  Geneva  is  a  quiet  little  body  of  water, 
several  hours'  ride  northwest  of  Chicago,  nestling 
among  wooded  hills.  On  the  northern  shore  of 
the  Lake  the  tents  of  the  student  encampment  are 
pitched,  for  unlike  the  other  conferences,  the 
students  who  attend  this  live  under  the  trees  and 
largely  in  the  open  air.  .  It  is  a  good  place  to  meet 
the  Master.  Such  spots  have  ever  been  dear  to 
Him. 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Into  the  woods  my  Master  went, 

Clean  forspent,  forspent  ; 

Into  the  woods  my  Master  came, 

Forspent  with  love  and  shame. 

But  the  olives  they  were  not  blind  to  Him, 

The  little  grey  leaves  were  kind  to  Him 

The  thorn  tree  had  a  mind  to  Him, 

When  into  the  woods  He  came. 

Out  of  the  woods  my  Master  went, 

And  He  was  well  content ; 

Out  of  the  woods  my  Master  came, 

Content  with  death  and  shame. 

When  death  and  shame  would  woo  Him  last. 

From  under  the  trees  they  drew  Him  last ; 

'Twas  on  a  tree  they  slew  Him  last, 

When  out  of  the  woods  He  came. 

And  here  under  the  oaks  and  along  the  pebbly 
beach  of  the  lakeside  Hugh  met  Him.  He  had 
never  met  Him  so  before.  It  began  a  new  life 
for  Hugh.  It  was  not  a  sudden  transition,  but  it 
was  not  long  delayed  and  it  was  sure.  A  trans- 
formation began  there  which  issued  four  years 
later  in  a  transfigured  life  and  which  left  a  path  of 
glory  between. 

These  summer  conferences  of  students  are  as 
free  and  simple  almost  as  was  the  school  of  Jesus 
on  the  hills  and  by  the  brooks  and  the  blue  waters 
of  Galilee.  No  attempt  at  anything  arid  or  high 
was  made  at  Lake  Geneva.  The  mornings  began 
with  some  conference  as  to  the  methods  and 
needs  of  Christian  work  in  college.  This  was 
followed  by  Bible  classes,  one  designed  to  teach 

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College  Life 

the  devotional  use  of  the  Bible  for  spiritual  growth 
and  the  other  its  practical  use  in  dealing  with 
men  and  endeavoring  to  lead  them  into  Christ's 
discipleship.  After  these  came  one  or  two  ear- 
nest, direct  addresses,  designed  to  produce  result 
in  resolution  and  character.  The  afternoon  was 
free  for  recreation  or  quiet  study  and  fellowship. 
In  the  twilight  as  the  sun  slipped  down  behind 
the  hills  and  flung  their  lengthening  shadows 
across  the  lake  the  men  gathered  on  the  grass  on 
the  water  side  under  the  trees  for  a  meeting  to 
consider  the  great  fields  for  life's  opportunity  and 
service  and  the  day  closed  with  a  general  meet- 
ing like  the  last  meeting  of  the  morning  and  quiet 
little  gatherings  of  the  students  from  each  college 
apart,  to  gather  up  and  seal  the  influences  of  the 
day.  The  part  that  Hugh  was  to  take  in  these 
summer  conferences  justifies  this  account  of  them. 
His  notebooks  show  how  attentive  he  was  at 
Lake  Geneva.  And  the  part  of  the  conference 
which  evidently  took  deepest  hold  upon  him  was 
the  Bible  class  taught  by  his  brother  Gilbert, 
whose  purpose  was  to  make  men  personal 
workers.  His  notes  show  the  thoroughness  with 
which  he  entered  into  the  work  of  this  class. 
They  give  first  a  description  of  a  certain  actual 
type  of  college  man  to  be  dealt  with  and  then  the 
Bible  passages  containing  the  principles  to  be 
urged  upon  such  a  man. 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"June  27,  A.  M.  Good  habits.  Recognize  im- 
portance and  good  of  religion.  Will  come  some 
time.  Expects  to  be  a  Christian  some  day.  Fears 
his  companions. 

"Ought.     Luke  xii.  47;  James  iv.  17. 

"Afraid.     Mark  viii.  38;   Isaiah  li.  12. 

"Danger.  Prov.  xxvii.  i;  Jiunes  iv.  13,  14; 
Isaiah  Iv.  6,  7;  Prov.  xxix.  i. 

"Now.  2  Cor.  vi.  2;  Eccl.  xii.  i;  i  Kings  xviii. 
21. 

"When  do  you  expect  to  become  a  Christian? 
Ileb.  in.  7 ;  i  Kings  xviii.  21 ;  Matt.  vi.  24;  ISAIAH 
IV.  6;  Acts  xx.  21;  Prov.  xxix.  25." 

He  seems  to  have  worked  twice  each  day  on 
such  a  scheme  as  this.  The  other  men  who  are 
described  and  studied  are  as  follows: 

"Attends  meetings.  Realizes  that  he  should  be- 
come a  Christian.     Fears  ridicule. 

"Thought  well  of  by  men.  Excuse — Have  no 
sympathy  at  home.  Has  love  for  ballroom,  cards, 
etc.     Realizes  his  position. 

"Wild,  careless,  ashamed  to  show  any  interest  in 
his  salvation.  Avoids  an  interview.  Unwilling  to 
give  up  wordly  pleasure.  Does  not  look  at  the  ques- 
tion in  the  right  light. 

"Very  critical.  High  standard  for  Christian. 
Lives  a  good  life  outwardly.  Excuses  himself  by 
pointing  to  inconsistency  of  Christians.  His  own 
good  works  will  save  him. 

"  One  who  hesitated  for  fear  that  he  could  not  hold 
out.     Thinks  influences  are  such  that  he  cannot  now. 
'  Many  things  in  Bible  that  I  can't  understand.' 
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College  Life 

"Member  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  preparatory  school. 
Drifted  away.  Impure  thoughts.  Bad  company. 
Fears  he  cannot  hold  out.  Can't  give  up  card  play- 
ing.    Seventeen  years  of  age.     Christian  home. 

"A  young  man,  good-natured,  easily  injfluenced. 
Believes  in  Bible.  Attends  church.  Does  not  feel 
his  obligations  to  God  or  see  his  sinful  condition. 
Fears  he  could  not  be  a  consistent  Christian. 

"  A  man  whose  creed  is  like  a  Unitarian's.  Does 
not  recognize  divinity  of  Christ.  Studies  have  been 
along  scientific  line,  and  he  seeks  to  give  natural 
causes  to  the  miracles  of  Christ.  Is  a  Friend  and  does 
good  work  in  his  own  denomination. 

"  One  who  goes  to  excess.  Believes  in  the  Bible. 
Lots  of  nerve.  Holds  on  to  the  world.  Not  serious. 
Wild  and  reckless.     Expects  to  go  to  hell." 

Later  in  these  same  notes  he  speaks  of  John  iii, 
36,  as  a  verse  which  meets  the  objection  of  a  want 
of  emotional  feeling,  and  then  gives  three  sets  of 
verses  which  have  been  selected  apparently  to 
meet  three  successive  stages  of  experience  in  men : 

"First.  Rom.  iii.  10,  22,  23;  James  ii.  10;  i 
John  i.  10;  Rom.  v.  12:  Gal.  iii.  22. 

"Second.  Ezek.  xviii.  4;  Rom.  vi.  23;  John 
iii.  36;  Mark  xvi.  16;  Heb.  ii.  3;  Luke  xiii.  3; 
John  iii.  18. 

"Third,  i  John  iv.  16;  John  iii.  16;  Rom.  v. 
8;  I  John  iv.  9,  10;  iii.  16;  Isa.  liii.  5,  (5." 

He  also  notes  the  title  of  Andrew  Murray's 
With  Christ  in  the  School  of  Prayer.  It  was 
presumably  a  book  he  intended  to  buy. 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

After  the  conference  at  Lake  Geneva  Hugh 
went  home  for  the  summer,  and  back  to  college 
in  the  fall.  "In  speaking  of  the  conference," 
said  one  of  his  friends,  "  Hugh  seemed  impressed 
with  the  restfulness  and  peacefulness  in  contrast 
to  his  experiences  at  Chicago.  He  spoke  of  his 
surprise  in  the  methods  used  and  said  the  confer- 
ence had  been  a  great  awakening  to  him."  New 
ideals  were  wooing  him.  What  his  life  work 
should  be  he  had  not  decided.  He  was  moving 
toward  some  profession  or  a  business  life.  But 
a  greater  question  was  turning  over  and  over  in 
his  mind  and  heart.  Should  what  was  in  the 
world,  the  tastes  of  it,  the  tastes  of  the  eye  and 
the  pride  and  joyousness  of  life  command  his 
love  or  should  he  make  it  his  meat  and  drink  to 
do  the  will  of  God,  whatever  that  might  be? 
Should  he  live  an  unselfish  life  that  was  yet 
centred  in  self-development  and  self-contentment 
or  should  God  be  the  centre  of  all  ?  It  was  not  a 
short  battle.   As  his  room-mate  in  college  writes: 

"  I  sliall  never  forget  the  years  Hugh  and  I  passed 
so  closely  together.  I  was  with  him  a  great  deal  of 
the  time,  when  he  was  trying  to  decide  to  give  up 
the  world.  It  was  a  quiet  struggle  but  a  long  one 
and,  when  won,  it  was  beautiful  to  see  how  entirely 
and  happily  he  gave  up  the  pleasures  of  this  world 
and  how  happily  he  took  up  his  new  hfe  among  his 
companions  and  friends." 

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The  victory  did  not  come  suddenly.  He  had 
grown  gradually  into  the  consciousness  that 
there  is  in  every  man's  life  an  issue  between 
Christ  and  self  and  he  emerged  slowly  but 
steadily  from  the  struggle  over  that  issue.  But 
the  last  two  years  of  his  college  course  were  very 
different  from  the  first  two.  He  took  up  the 
work  of  his  junior  year  with  a  new  sense  of  the 
deeper  meanings  of  life  and  with  a  growing  pas- 
sion after  the  souls  of  men.  And  in  this  new  life 
all  his  jollity,  his  merriment,  his  lightheartedness 
remained  with  him,  only  refined  yet  more,  made 
more  gentle,  buoyant  and  winsome  by  the  new 
friendship  for  Christ  he  had  conceived  and  the 
power  it  was  gaining  in  his  life.  He  naturally 
grew  yet  more  thoughtful  and  kind.  When  the 
arbutus  came  in  the  spring  he  saw  that  a  box  of 
this  daintiest  and  sweetest  American  flower  got 
to  his  mother. 

There  was  no  further  need  for  outer  impulse 
in  Hugh's  life.  The  wells  of  living  water  had 
been  opened  within.  And  he  began  his  junior 
year  in  college  with  a  sense  of  responsibility  and 
a  love  for  men  which  grew  steadily  deeper  and 
more  joyous  thenceforth.  He  had  copies  of 
Christ  as  a  Personal  Worker,  and  Personal  Work, 
How  Organised  and  Accomplished,  two  small 
pamphlets  published  by  the  International  Com- 
mittee of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations, 

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and  he  made  many  notes  in  these,  adding  in  one 
place  as  if  sensible  of  a  new  need — "Holy  Spirit. 
Acts  V.  32.  Given  to  them  that  obey."  In  the 
spring  of  1894,  the  presidents  of  the  College 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  of  Pennsyl- 
vania met  for  their  annual  conference  at  State 
College.  Two  subjects  discussed  at  this  confer- 
ence appear  to  have  appealed  specially  to  Hugh, 
for  on  these  he  has  left  full  notes  and  apparently 
none  on  any  other  subject.  One  was  "A  Spirit- 
ual Awakening  in  Pennsylvania  State  College." 
This  was  the  analysis  Hugh  preserved: 

I.  The  Need. 

II.  Incentives. 

Significance  of  students.  Students  are  especially 
susceptible  to  religious  impression.  If  students  are 
not  won  in  college  days  chances  are  against  tlieir 
being  won  in  after  life.  Conditions  of  college  life 
impose  special  responsibilities  upon  Christian  stu- 
dents. More  responsibility  is  delegated  to  students 
by  Faculties  now.  Christian  work  is  organized. 
Spiritual  awakenings  in  other  colleges.  Value  of  the 
soul. 

III.  Hindrances. 

Inconsistent  lives.  Sabbath  desecration.  Cheat- 
ing in  examinations,  recitations  or  dishonesty.  Ly- 
ing. Profanity.  Drinking  and  gambling.  Betting. 
Smutty  stories.  Division  among  Christians.  Failure 
to  realize  need,  importance  and  personal  responsibil- 
ity. Failure  to  act.  Men  are  not  equipped.  Unbe- 
lief. 

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College  Life 

IV.  Preparation. 

1.  Get  a  few  of  the  best  men  to  realize  awful 
need.  Face  plain  facts  about  the  college.  Try  to 
realize  what  is  at  stake.  Try  to  imagine  what  Christ 
would  do  were  He  to  enter  P.  S.  C.  Books  to  read  : 
The  Acts  of  the  Apostles ;  Finney's  Revival  Lectures, 
I. — VIII. ;  Murray's  With  Christ  i?i  the  School  of 
Prayer;  Arthur's  Tongue  of  Fire  ;  Toney's  I/oza  to 
Brifig  Men  to  Christ. 

2.  Let  the  Christians  themselves  be  revived.  Let 
there  be  intense  self-examination.  "Search  me  O 
God,  and  know  my  heart !  "  Confess  sins  of  omission 
and  commission.  Then  quit.  Daily  Bible  study  and 
secret  prayer  for  Christians  themselves. 

3.  Special  prayer  fur  others.  Definite,  for  spe- 
cial men.     United.     Importunate. 

V.  Methods. 

1.  Personal  work. 

(a.)  Nature.  Tactful,  adapted  to  the  man,  to 
ourselves.     Study  God's  work.     Persevering. 

(^.)  Relations  to  other  agencies.  Preceding  them 
in  preparing  the  way.  John  i.  35-47.  Accompany- 
ing them  it  gathers  the  result.  It  ensures  a  whole- 
hearted and  more  intelligent  obedience.  Following 
them  it  conserves  results. 

(c.)  Organization.  Picked  men.  Woikers' Bible 
training  class.  Workers'  circles.  Workers'  Bible  topic 
class  for  students*  training  in  devotional  exercise  who 
are  prevented  from  entering  other  class.  Promoted 
by  leaders  of  classes  who  confer  with  one  another. 

2.  The  Association  Evangelistic  meeting. 

3.  Special  evangelistic  effort.  Daily  workers' 
meeting.  Conference  of  leaders  of  groups.  Series 
of  meetings  when  the  laborers  are  ready  to  gather  in 
the  harvest.     Special  help  from  outside. 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

VI.       How  TO  CONSERVE  RESULTS. 

Enlist  men  in  Bible  classes  and  Bible  study.  In- 
terest the  right  Christian  student  in  each  convert. 
Lead  him  to  join  Church  and  Association.  Set  new 
converts  at  work — winning  fellows.  Help  them  in 
forming  new  companionships  and  changing  old. 

The  Other  notes  are  on  the  subject  of  the  work 
to  be  done  in  behalf  of  new  students  each  fall  at 
the  opening  of  the  college  year.  The  careful 
analysis  of  these  notes  suggests  that  Hugh  took 
them  down  from  some  one  speaking  at  the  con- 
ference. He  never  cared  much  for  analysis  and 
used  to  say  he  had  no  gift  for  it.  How  Hugh 
had  grown  in  his  activity  as  a  Christian  worker 
at  this  time  is  indicated  by  a  reminiscence  of  this 
conference  furnished  by  Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  who 
was  there. 

"The  first  vivid  impression  made  upon  me  by 
Hugh  was  in  connection  with  my  visit  to  State  Col- 
lege about  five  years  ago,  when  I  went  there  to  assist 
in  the  Pennsylvania  Presidential  Conference.  The 
closing  afternoon  of  the  conference  we  had  a  men's 
gospel  meeting.  Largely  as  a  result  of  Hugh's  per- 
sonal influence  and  efforts  the  large  room  where  the 
meeting  was  held  was  crowded  with  college  men. 
The  Spirit  of  God  worked  mightily  in  the  meeting. 
The  interest  manifested  was  so  great  that  we  had  a 
second  meeting  on  the  night  of  the  same  day.  In 
both  of  these  meetings  I  was  impressed  by  Hugli's  in- 
tense prayerfulness,  and  also  by  his  tremendous  ear- 
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College  Life 

nestness  and  loving  tact  in  personal  work.  He  forgot 
all  formality,  going  about  here  and  there  in  tlie  room 
in  the  intense  part  of  the  after-meeting,  sitting  down 
by  the  side  of  classmates,  putting  his  arm  around 
them  and  urging  them  to  take  a  decided  stand  for 
Christ.  To  my  knowledge  not  less  than  three  men 
were  led  under  the  influence  of  his  burning  personal 
appeals  to  decide  for  Christ.  The  joy  which  filled 
him  in  such  work  and  during  the  hours  which  fol- 
lowed was  a  real  benediction  to  all  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  him." 

The  first  Bible  study  notes  which  Hugh  pre- 
served seem  to  belong  to  the  spring  of  his  junior 
year.  They  were  taken  evidently  in  some  meet- 
ings conducted  in  Bellefonte,  by  Mr.  James  H. 
McConkey. 

"March  12,  '94.  The  Living  Christ.  Rev.  i. 
18;  Heb.  vi.  i;  Rom.  viii.  34;  Luke  xxiv.  4; 
John  XX.  19,  20;  Acts  vii.  25;  1  Cor.  ix.  i;  Acts 
XXV.  19.  The  Present  Christ,  Matt,  xxviii.  20; 
John  xiv.  16;  John  xx.  28,  29;  John  iv.  23,  24; 
Luke  xviii.  8;  2  Kings  vi.  17;  (Not  created,  only 
allowed  to  perceive)  Heb.  xi.  27;  Acts  ix.  34;  John 
xiv.  16;  I  John  V.  11;  John  v.  39,  40;  Col.  iii.  3, 
4;   Mark  V.  27,  29;  John  i.  i,  14. 

"March  12,  '94,  p.  m.  The  Holy  Ghost.  Acts 
ii.  38;  John  xiv.  16,  17;  Acts  xix.  2;  explained  by 
verses  3-5.  Holy  Ghost  comes  only  under  two  con- 
ditions :  Repent  (John's  Baptism,)  Believe  on  Jesus. 
When  conditions  are  fulfilled  the  Holy  Ghost  comes. 

1  Cor.  vi.  19;    T  Cor.  iii.  16.    Spirit  dvvelleth  in  you. 

2  Cor.  vi.  2.     Now.     2  Cor.  xiii.  5.     Christ  in  you. 

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Surrender  freely.     That's  all.     Then  Christ  will  use 
us.  ,   .   . 

■  "  March  13,  '94,  P.  m.  Eph.  iv.  30.  Grieve  not 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Isa.  Ixiii.  10.  Lack  of  power  be- 
cause we  so  often  grieve  the  Holy  Ghost.  2  Cor. 
viii.  I  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  16,  17  ;  Heb.  x.  7  ;  Rom.  xii.  i ; 
John  XX.  20.  Child  rescued  from  fire.  Rescuer  in 
need  shows  his  burned  hands  to  that  child's  mother. 
So  Jesus  shows  us  His  hands  and  His  feet.  Shall  we 
refuse  Him  now?  Christ  died  for  us  that  we  who 
live  might  not  live  unto  ourselves,  but  that  we  may 
surrender  ourselves  to  live  as  the  Spirit  directs,  i  John 
ii.  16,  17;  John  xiii.  34;   2  Cor.  viii.  8." 

The  other  studies  are  of  the  same  character. 
Hugh  was  deeply  impressed  by  these  Bible  talks 
and  after  one  of  them  made  a  formal  surrender  to 
God.     Mr.  McConkey  recalls  this  : 

"  I  was  with  Hugh  when  he  came  face  to  face 
with  the  crisis  of  his  Christian  life — his  surrender  to 
God.  He  had  been  at  Lake  Geneva  and  had  re- 
turned home  much  impressed  by  truths  which  the 
Spirit  of  God  had  revealed  to  him  there.  That 
revelation  had  brought  conviction,  but  conviction 
had  not  yet  culminated  in  decision.  So  it  was  with 
great  joy  that  we  kneeled  together  one  memorable  day 
while  he  laid  his  life  at  the  feet  of  Him  who,  already 
the  Saviour  of  his  soul,  was  henceforth  to  be  the  Lord 
and  Master  of  that  life.  Very  humble,  tender,  and 
beautiful  was  his  low-voiced  prayer  of  committal. 
But  how  much  it  meant  for  him,  for  the  cause 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  for  the  souls  he  led  into  the 
Kingdom  !  His  will  had  for  some  time  before  been 
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trembling  in  the  balance  of  a  decision  which,  if 
made,  would  have  turned  the  current  of  his  life  in  a 
far  different  direction.  Little  did  he  know  how  brief 
was  the  span  of  earthly  existence  allotted  to  him. 
But  God  knew,  and  won  to  Himself  that  life  with  all 
its  rare  beauty  and  sweetness  of  character  and  spiritual 
fruitage.  Had  Hugh  Beaver  failed  to  yield  his  young 
life  to  God's  service  the  Kingdom  of  God  would  have 
been  the  loser  by  so  much  as  the  Lord  God  had  need 
of  him.  Had  he  postponed  his  decision  three  or  four 
short  years  it  would  have  been  too  late.  Then  would 
*  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work  *  have  been 
sadly  true  of  him.  What  a  lesson  for  those  who  are 
rejecting  the  pleadings  of  God's  Spirit  for  a  yielded 
life  !  Noting  the  marvellous  use  God  made  of  this 
young  life  within  three  short  years  it  is  startling  to 
think  of  the  costliness  of  possible  disobedience,  and 
of  the  blessedness  of  actual  obedience  to  His  call. 
Yea  the  waves  of  influence  which  flow  from  obedience 
or  disobedience  to  the  claims  of  God  upon  the  lives 
of  His  children  cease  not  until  upon  the  very  shores 
of  eternity  itself  they  break  in  joyous  acclaim  or  sad 
lament.  Thanks  be  to  God  even  for  the  memory  of 
such  a  life  as  dear  Hugh  Beaver's." 

A  friend  who  knew  Hugh  well  remembers  the 
place  these  meetings  had  in  his  development: 

"Hugh  attended  them  and  for  the  first  time  in 
Bellefonte  took  active  part  in  the  services — he  never 
liked  to  sit  up  front  in  the  afternoon  meetings  for  he 
was  afraid  Mr.  McConkey  would  call  on  him  to  pray. 

"After  a  personal  talk  with  Mr.  McConkey  he 
gave  his  life  and  time  definitely  to  the  Lord.  At  this 
time  there  was  a  decided  change ;  heretofore  he  had 
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been  very  decided  as  to  his  life  work  and  had  his 
business  career  planned  out  very  definitely,  but  from 
this  time  on  he  always  spoke  of  his  life  as  in  the 
Lord's  hands,  and  he  was  simply  waiting  for  guidance 
and  direction.  He  invited  many  of  the  young  men 
of  the  town  to  attend  the  evening  meetings  but  had 
one  friend  whom  he  seemed  afraid  to  approach.  After 
much  prayer  and  several  vain  attempts,  he  excused 
himself  while  walking  one  afternoon  with  a  friend 
and  myself  and  bounding  across  the  street  he  spoke  to 
this  young  man  and  returned  with  the  promise  that 
he  would  be  at  the  meeting  that  evening,  not  because 
he  wanted  to  go,  but  simply  to  please  Hugh." 

In  the  summer  Hugh  went  to  the  students'  con- 
ference at  Northfieid.  He  tried  to  get  as  much  as 
he  could  from  the  Bible  classes  and  one  notebook  is 
full  of  outlines  and  hints  on  the  life  of  Christ  and 
on  the  study  of  parables  and  miracles.  In  another 
notebook,  intended  for  the  general  meetings  and 
addresses,  he  has  especially  full  notes  on  a  talk  of 
Mr.  Moody's  on- "The  Holy  Spirit,"  from  John 
xiv.  17.  These  notes  conclude,  "If  we  have  not 
shown  Christ  in  our  lives,  we  cannot  lead  others 
to  that  love  and  peace  which  we  ourselves  know 
but  little  of.  Oh  God,  help  us  so  to  live  that 
others  may  be  led  to  Christ  by  our  lives.  If  we 
want  power,  we  must  be  humble.  Don't  expect 
any  strange  sensations.  Just  let  the  Holy  Ghost 
come  in  His  own  way.  Don't  try  to  dictate." 
This  notebook  is  opened  with  the  words, 
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College  Life 

"  Highest  use  of  giving  that  which  comes  to  the 
giver.  God  has  no  need  of  our  gifts  but  we  our- 
selves need  to  give,"  and  closes  with  the  words 
from  Whittier's  hymn, 

"  O  Lord  and  Master  of  us  all 
Whate'er  our  name  or  sign." 

The  friend  who  knew  Hugh's  inner  life  best 
writes  of  the  influence  of  this  conference  upon 
him: 

"His  letters  during  this  conference  showed  that 
the  impressions  of  the  whole  year  were  greatly  deep- 
ened and  his  interest  and  zeal  in  Christian  work 
seemed  to  take  a  lasting  hold  upon  him.  Knowing 
him  as  well  as  I  did  I  noticed  a  very  decided  change 
in  him  after  his  return,  especially  in  the  fact  that  he 
seemed  desirous  to  influence  every  one  he  was  thrown 
with  to  lead  a  nobler  life.  Mr.  Moody  had  impressed 
him  strongly  and  he  often  spoke  of  him  as  "  Dear 
old  Moody  "  with  so  much  feeling  in  his  voice. 

"  In  looking  back  I  feel  that  this  summer  was  the 
beginning  of  Hugh's  very  decided  personal  influence 
for  good  which  was  felt  by  all  who  knew  him  and 
only  grew  stronger  as  his  Christian  life  developed, — 
he  never  seemed  satisfied  with  a  day  or  a  conversation 
unless  he  had  a  serious  talk  with  some  one  that  he 
met." 

In  September  Hugh  went  back  to  State  College 
for  his  last  year.  A  senior  in  an  American  col- 
lege is  an  object  of  vast  admiration  to  a  freshman 
and  of  corresponding  power  over  him.    And  in 

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the  general  traditional  organization  of  our  college 
life  each  senior  class  holds  for  its  brief  year  the 
post  of  honor  and  the  reins  of  power.  Hugh  had 
in  addition  to  these  general  sources  of  influence 
all  the  radiant  personal  gifts  of  his  boyhood,  en- 
riched and  developed.  He  was  interested  in 
everything.  In  April  he  made  a  geological 
survey  of  Centre  County,  walking  across  the 
country  with  a  classmate  to  get  the  data.  There 
was  nothing  scanty  or  impoverished  or  squalid 
about  his  life.  And  most  of  all  now  he  was  in- 
terested in  following  Christ  truly  and  in  winning 
other  men  to  the  same  delightful  life.  And  his 
clean,  wholesome,  overflowing  spirit  spread  an 
atmosphere  of  genial  playfulness  all  about  him  in 
the  midst  of  which  in  the  most  serious  and  stead- 
fast way  he  strove  to  show  men  what  he  had 
seen. 

"  Trained  to  live  his  whole  life  long 
On  beauty  and  splendor,  solely  at  their  source — 
God," 

and  having  come  at  last  to  that  to  which  his 
whole  training  had  been  leading  him  he  was 
ready  now  to 

"  Burn  his  soul  out  in  showing  men  the  truth." 

What  his  classmates  said  of  him  shows  how 
strong  and  respected  he  was  in  this  Christian 
service  : 

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"We  know  that  in  all  cases  and  at  all  times  he 
sought  to  right  errors  .  .  .  always  speaking  a  good 
word  on  the  side  of  Christianity  and  setting  the  ex- 
ample by  the  excellence  of  his  own  life." 

"I  was  a  classmate  of  his  for  years,  coming  into 
closest  contact  with  him  and  learned  to  appreciate  his 
manliness  and  strength  of  character  and  was  attracted 
ever  by  his  personal  magnetism." 

"I  was  associated  with  him  four  years  and  in  that 
time  he  was  the  same  sincere,  upright  boy — and  al- 
ways so.  It  is  a  great  source  of  consolation  to  all  of 
us  to  remember  his  character." 

"I  never  knew  a  more  manly  fellow." 

While  another  who  had  known  him  longer 
writes  of  "  the  good  pure  life  he  led,"  and  of  the 
delight  of  "  the  thought  that  he  was  blameless  in 
character."  The  Christian  Association  after  his 
death  "bore  testimony  to  his  Christian  life,  his 
untiring  work  in  his  Master's  service  and  his  up- 
lifting influence  upon  his  fellow  students." 

A  signal  illustration  of  Hugh's  intensity  of  pur- 
pose and  determination  was  exhibited  in  his  last 
year  in  college.  During  a  snow  blockade  which 
prevented  the  running  of  trains  and  all  intercourse 
between  the  State  College  and  his  home,  twelve 
miles  away,  by  the  ordinary  means  of  convey- 
ance, he  walked  the  entire  distance,  most  of  the 
way  on  the  tops  of  the  fences.  He  was  naturally 
much  exhausted  by  the  journey  and,  as  a  result, 
had  a  serious  affection  of  the  eyes  which  pre- 
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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

vented  his  carrying  on  his  studies.  He  was  for- 
tunate, however,  in  having  among  his  friends 
several  young  women  who  had  been  graduated 
from  college  and  who  were  familar  with  the  sub- 
jects then  engaging  his  attention.  Three  or  four 
of  them  were  willing  to  give  him  an  hour  each 
day  and,  availing  himself  of  their  invitation,  he 
took  up  the  studies  of  the  senior  year  with  them 
and,  by  having  them  read  to  and  discuss  the  sub- 
jects with  him,  was  enabled  to  keep  up  with  the 
work  of  the  class.  One  of  those  who  read  to 
him  said: 

"  I  was  especially  struck  with  his  power  of  retain- 
ing what  was  read  to  him,  as  he  sat  with  his  eyes 
closed  while  I  read  page  after  page  of  chemical 
analysis  and  formulae.  I  would  test  him  by  going 
back  a  page  or  two  and  rereading  but  I  never  could 
catch  him,  and  in  asking  him  questions  found  he  had 
understood  and  remembered  everything  of  im- 
portance." 

Among  Hugh's  papers  were  four  or  five  simple 
little  outlines  for  Bible  talks  which,  as  the  dates 
marked  in  the  corner  show,  were  given  at  college 
during  the  latter  half  of  his  senior  year  or  on 
visits  to  his  home  at  Bellefonte: 

"The    Holy  Spirit.     Conditions.     Acts   ii.   38. 

Repent  and  be  Baptized,     i.  We  have  received  the 

Holy  Spirit,      i   Cor.   iii.  16;  vi.  19;   2  Cor.  vi.  16. 

To  abide  we  must   be  already  there.      2.  Fullness, 

108 


College  Life 

Acts  ii.  4;  vi.  5  ;  ix.  17.     3.  How  shall  we  be  filled  ? 
Surrender  our  lives.     Romans  v.  5." 

"  Believer's  Safety.  Grace  is  what  God  has  done 
for  us.  Eph.  ii.  8.  Sins  cast  away.  Where?  Isa. 
xxxviii.  17.  How  far?  Psalm  ciii.  12.  Blotted 
out.  Isa.  xliv.  22.  Forgotten.  Heb.  viii.  12.  All 
this  God  has  done  for  me.  Noiu  are  we  the  sons  of 
God.  I  John  iii.  i,  2;  John  v.  24;  Rev.  i.  18; 
John  xiv.  19.  Belong  to  God.  How  long?  Sealed. 
Rewarded  for  our  works.  Eph.  iv.  30.  Held  by 
God's  hand.  John  x.  29.  Kept  not  by  faith  but 
through  faith  by  the  power  of  God.     Isa.  xli.  13." 

"Belief  and  Unbelief.  Mark  ix.  14-29, 
especially  verses  23,  24.  To  the  sinner.  Belief. 
John  iii.  16;  v.  24;  iii.  36.  Unbelief.  John  iii. 
18,  36.  To  the  converted.  Belief.  Matt.  xxi.  21, 
22;  Mark  ix.  23f.  Unbelief.  Heb.  xi.  6;  Matt, 
xiii.  58." 

"Building,  i  Cor.  iii.  10.  Character  forming 
now.  Influence  upon  posterity.  Second  Command- 
ment. Lowell.  Service.  Heredity.  Orr's  theory. 
"Great  responsibility  resting  upon  each  generation 
since  its  actions  are  helping  to  mould  the  character 
of  its  posterity,"  p.  254.  Everyday  life.  Examples. 
Influence  upon  ourselves,  i  Cor.  iii.  17  ;  2  Cor.  v. 
10.  Need  we  be  careful  ?  College  men.  Remedy. 
Jude  24,  25." 

"Matt.  xxiv.  32;  Luke  xxi.  Solemn  thought, 
nearer  home  to-day  than  ever  been  before.  Sure. 
Death  or  His  coming.  Christ's  coming.  Certain. 
Testimony.  Christ.  John  xiv.  13.  Angels.  Acts 
i.  II.  Apostles.  I  Thess.  iv.  16.  Signs.  Jews. 
Worldliness.  Anti-Christ.  Gospel  preached  to  all 
world.  Matt.  xxiv.  14;  Rom.  x.  18;  Acts  ii.  5; 
Col.  i.  23.     Watch." 

109 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

A  few  months  before  his  graduation  a  renewed 
call  came  to  Hugh  to  succeed  his  brother  Gilbert 
as  college  secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations  of  Pennsylvania,  Gilbert  having 
been  called  to  take  part  of  the  general  work 
among  the  colleges  of  the  whole  country.  Hugh's 
plans  had  been  carefully  thought  out,  though  they 
were  not  very  definite.  They  involved  a  business 
career,  perhaps  in  the  west,  but  he  took  up  the 
new  call  as  the  possible  summons  of  God.  This 
call  had  first  come  to  Hugh  early  in  his  senior 
year.     His  brother  Gilbert  writes: 

"The  State  Convention  of  the  Associations  met  in 
Johnstown  in  the  fall  of  '94. 

"Hugh  was  reluctant  to  go,  but  finally  consented. 
He  spoke  for  a  few  minutes  about  the  work  for 
students  at  one  of  the  evening  meetings  in  which 
several  students  spoke  on  different  phases  of  the 
work. 

"  If  I  remember  correctly,  Hugh  had  been  spoken 
to  before  the  convention  about  taking  my  place  in  the 
State  College  work  the  next  fall.  From  the  first  men- 
tion of  it  he  seemed  to  be  rather  fearful  that  he  was 
being  drawn  into  something  that  would  interfere  with 
his  ambition  to  be  a  Christian  business  man,  and  lay- 
man like  his  father.  Once,  before  he  declined  the  first 
call,  he  was  reminded  that  it  was  for  only  one  year, 
— that  the  end  of  the  year,  when  he  knew  more  about 
the  work  and  his  fitness  for  it,  would  be  time  enough 
to  decide  about  business.  He  replied,  'but  I'm 
afraid  if  I  ever  get  into  this  kind  of  work,  I  never  can 
get  out.'  " 

110 


College  Life 

But  the  call  was  repeated  and  he  could  not 
escape  from  it.  One  of  his  friends  writes  of  the 
struggle  he  passed  through  in  connection  with  it: 

"At  this  time  Hugh  was  contemplating  taking  a 
post-graduate  course  at  the  State  College,  in  order 
that  he  might  continue  his  interest  and  work  in  his 
fraternity  and  the  Y.  M.  C,  A.  I  saw  him  con- 
stantly during  this  period  of  his  life  and  know  some- 
thing of  the  struggle  he  underwent.  It  was  not  un- 
usual for  him  to  spend  a  whole  evening  discussing  the 
subject  and  bringing  forth  every  conceivable  prop- 
osition why  he  should  not  accept,  most  prominent 
being  his  incapability  to  fill  the  position  and  the  feel- 
ing that  his  own  life  would  not  permit  him  to  guide 
and  influence  young  men.  Although  he  seemed  de- 
termined to  decline  I  always  felt  that  in  his  heart  he 
could  not,  for  he  never  left  me  without  a  request  for 
more  earnest  prayer  in  the  matter,  asking  especially 
that  the  Lord  might  make  his  way  so  plain  that  he 
could  not  make  a  mistake  and  that  if  his  Master 
wanted  him  he  might  go  gladly.  He  declined  at 
first  after  a  long  and  hard  fight.  But  all  felt  that  his 
decision,  though  emphatic,  was  not  final. 

"  Toward  spring  and  after  Mr.  Bard  became  State 
Secretary,  Hugh  was  asked  to  consider  the  call  again. 
After  much  prayer  he  went  one  evening  to  prayer  meet- 
ing, having  asked  the  Lord  to  make  very  plain  to  him 
that  night  His  wishes  for  him.  The  text  for  the  evening 
was  Acts  viii.  26.  '  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  spake 
unto  Philip  saying,  Arise  and  go  toward  the  south, 
.  .  .  and  he  arose  and  went.'  A  very  striking  hymn 
was  given  out  which  I  do  not  recall  and  Hugh  said 
he  felt  so  sure  that  the  service  was  a  direct  answer  to 
his  prayers  that  what  had  been  like  a  heavy  cloud 
111 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

hanging  over  him  for  months  seemed  to  roll  away  and 
he  decided  there  and  then  to  give  his  life  up  to  this 
work  for  a  year  at  least.  He  very  often  remarked, 
'  I  have  only  taken  this  for  a  year  to  help  them  out 
and  because  I  feel  the  Lord  wants  me,  but  after  that 
I  expect  to  go  into  business.'  After  the  decision  was 
made  he  seemed  perfectly  peaceful  and  contented  and 
I  never  heard  him  regret  for  a  moment  that  he  had 
done  so,  but  on  the  contrary  his  interest  and  en- 
thusiasm grew  and  deepened  steadily  and  he  would 
often  say,  '  Oh  I  am  so  glad  I  am  in  this  work.  It 
would  have  been  fearful  if  I  had  refused.'  " 

When  the  long  struggle  between  inclination 
and  duty  was  over  he  wrote  on  March  ii,  1895, 
to  Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  the  Senior  College  Secretary 
of  the  International  Committee  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations. 

' '  My  dear  Mr.  Mott  : 

"Since  receiving  your  letter,  Mr.  Bard,  our 
State  Secretary,  has  visited  us  and  partially  as  a  re- 
sult I  have  decided  to  go  into  the  work  for  the  present, 
giving  them  from  six  to  nine  months  per  year,  I  had 
other  plans  in  view,  but  for  about  three  years  I  have 
been  calling  for  hymn  No.  107  of  Gospel  Hymns  No. 
5  in  about  all  the  meetings  I  have  attended — '  My 
Jesus,  as  thou  wilt,'  and  it  seemed  that  the  spirit  of 
the  hymn  should  be  a  guide  to  me  in  this  the  first 
call  that  has  cost  me  very  much  to  obey.  So  you  will 
find  me  next  year,  if  God  permits,  doing  what  I  can, 
with  His  help,  in  our  Pennsylvania  colleges. 
"  Very  sincerely, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 
112 


College  Life 

The  decision  once  made  there  was  no  looking 
back  and  Hugh  went  in  April  to  the  conference 
of  presidents  of  the  College  Associations  of  the 
State  in  order  to  meet  the  men  and  learn  as  much 
as  possible  about  the  work.  Like  Sir  Griflet  he 
was  "but  young  and  late  made  knight,"  but  as 
Merlin  prophesied  of  Sir  Tor,  he  was  to  "  prove 
a  noble  knight  of  prowess,  as  good  as  any  is 
living,  and  gentle  and  courteous,  and  full  of  good 
parts,  and  passing  true  of  his  promise,  and  never 
to  do  outrage."  So  those  who  had  best  oppor- 
tunity to  study  Hugh  believed.  President  George 
W.  Atherton,  of  State  College,  recalling  Hugh's 
college  life  speaks  of  this  great  promise  he  gave: 

"  I  knew  Hugh  Beaver  very  well  before  he  entered 
college,  during  his  four  years  in  college,  and  sub- 
sequently almost  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
person  who  could  hardly  fail  to  attract  attention 
wherever  he  was.  He  struck  you  at  once  as  a  frank, 
hearty,  fearless  fellow,  perfectly  confident  of  him- 
self, forward  and  aggressive,  without  conceit,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  as  considerate  of  the  rights  and  feel- 
ings and  interests  of  others  as  he  was  ready  to  defend 
his  own.  He  had  also,  in  an  unusual  degree,  a  quick 
appreciation  of  the  proprieties,  even  in  the  midst  of 
his  most  impulsive  moods,  and  a  certain  chivalrous 
and  most  winning  deference  to  rightful  authority  or 
precedence.  His  impulsiveness  and  intentness  on  the 
purpose  which,  for  the  time,  absorbed  him,  led  him 
sometimes  into  forgetfulness  and  inconsiderateness ; 
but  even  that  was  so  tempered  by  the  general  tone 
113 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

and  spirit  of  his  bearing  that  it  could  never  be  mis- 
understood or  taken  as  an  occasion  of  serious  offence. 

"  I  well  remember  my  first  real  view  of  him  as  a 
college  student.  It  was  while  he  was  a  freshman, 
during  a  period  when  the  boisterous  spirit  of  rivalry 
between  his  own  class  and  the  sophomores  was  at  its 
height.  The  freshmen  had  evidently  prearranged  a 
'  rush  '  upon  the  sophomores  in  the  main  college  hall, 
at  a  time  when  the  latter  class  was  least  likely  to  ex- 
pect it.  Beaver  went  into  the  affair  as  if  he  felt  it  to 
be  liis  own  personal  matter.  In  fact,  there  were 
circumstances  connected  with  it  which  led  me  to 
think  that  he  had  planned  it.  His  active,  wnry,  alert 
form  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  melee  and  one  might 
have  thought  him  engaged  in  a  charge  on  the  battle- 
field, so  intent  and  absorbed  was  he  in  leading  the 
struggle.  I  happened  to  be  near  and  went  at  once 
into  the  midst  of  the  combatants  and  stopped  the  dis- 
order. Beaver  was  too  much  occupied  to  see  me  at 
first,  but  when  I  spoke  to  him  his  bearing  and  manner 
instantly  changed,  he  recognized  my  right  to  intervene, 
accepted  it  without  a  word  of  dissent,  and  was  once 
again  an  orderly  college  student,  instead  of  a  leader 
in  a  struggling  mob. 

"This  first  scene  was  fairly  typical  of  his  entire 
career  in  college.  He  was  sufficiently  attentive  to 
his  duties  to  maintain  creditable  rank  as  a  student, 
but  never  worked  for  high  grades  or  devoted  any 
more  than  the  necessary  time  to  subjects  in  which  he 
had  no  special  interest.  In  the  case  of  subjects  for 
which  he  had  a  fondness,  no  man  was  more  inquisi- 
tive and  eager  and  receptive.  He  had,  too,  an  al- 
most intuitive  perception  of  the  leading  principles  of 
such  subjects,  which  made  his  questions  always  sug- 
gestive of  a  kind  of  intellectual  enthusiasm  that  gave 
114 


College  Lite 

promise  of  brilliant  achievements  in  any  direction 
which  should  really  attract  his  efforts.  He  seemed 
to  find  an  abundance  of  time  for  whatever  concerned 
the  varied  activities  of  general  student  life.  He  was 
not  of  sufficiently  vigorous  constitution  to  enter  into 
athletic  contests  himself,  but  no  champion  on  the 
field  had  greater  enthusiasm  for  them.  I  think  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  no  one  in  college,  during  his  time, 
did  more  to  stimulate  and  guide  the  activities  of  the 
students  in  that  direction,  and  no  one  devoted  more 
time  and  effort  to  making  athletic  sports  popular  and 
successful  and  at  the  same  time  thoroughly  manly. 
He  entered  into  the  successes  of  his  fellow  students 
as  enthusiastically  as  if  they  had  been  his  own  per- 
sonal achievements.  Neither  the  heat  of  the  sun  nor 
the  chilling  storms  of  autumn,  neither  mud  nor  dust 
nor  any  other  thing  could  prevent  him  from  appear- 
ing upon  the  scene  of  every  athletic  contest,  and  he 
entered  into  it  as  if  there  was  nothing  else  in  life 
quite  so  well  worth  doing. 

"I  may  perhaps  be  allowed  to  mention  an  incident 
of  a  more  closely  personal  kind  because  it  illustrates 
so  well  the  two  sides  of  his  nature  which  I  have  above 
alluded  to.  It  occurred  during  the  season  of  the 
Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago.  The  college  ses- 
sion was  very  near  its  close,  examinations  were  over, 
and  all  his  college  duties  were  ended,  except  the  an- 
nual military  drill.  A  group  of  his  most  intimate 
friends  had  arranged  to  go  to  Chicago  together  at 
that  time  and  he  had  planned  to  accompany  them. 
He  naturally  felt  that  a  trip  under  such  circumstances 
would  be  extremely  pleasant  and  that  for  that  pur- 
pose he  ought  to  be  excused  from  attendance  at  drill. 
He  accordingly  applied  for  leave  of  absence,  and 
with  an  air  of  unquestioning  confidence  that  it  would, 
115 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

of  course,  be  granted.  1  should  have  been  more  than 
glad  to  comply  with  his  request,  for  I  perfectly  ap- 
preciated the  situation  and  greatly  regretted  it ;  but 
I  felt  obliged  to  remind  him  that  it  had  been  found 
necessary  to  refuse  all  absences  from  that  specific 
duty,  except  on  the  ground  of  absolute  and  unavoid- 
able necessity.  He  urged  his  case  with  great  ear- 
nestness but  with  perfect  courtesy  and  propriety  and 
he  had  so  set  his  heart  on  going  that  he  seemed 
strongly  inclined  to  carry  out  his  purpose  even 
though  it  involved  certain  suspension.  At  this  point 
I  made  a  sudden  and  complete  change  in  the  basis  of 
our  talk.  I  dropped  the  attitude  of  a  college  officer 
dealing  with  a  student,  and  addressed  him  as  an  in- 
telligent and  responsible  man.  I  said,  in  substance, 
and  almost  in  words,  '  Hugh,  there  are  two  points 
involved  in  this  matter  which  you  cannot  afford  to 
overlook.  In  the  first  place,  you  know  that,  while 
you  have  never  sought  any  privileges  or  concessions 
which  could  not  be  as  freely  granted  to  other  stu- 
dents as  to  yourself,  yet  if  an  exception  were  made  in 
your  favor  in  this  case,  it  would  be  at  once  attributed 
not  to  the  force  of  justifying  circumstances  but 
wholly  and  exclusively  to  the  supposed  fact  of  your 
being  supported  by  influential  outside  friends  of  the 
college.  While  you  know  and  I  know  that  such  a 
suggestion  would  be  unjust  to  you  and  to  the  college, 
no  amount  of  assertion  could  remove  that  injurious 
impression.  You  have  no  right  to  place  yourself  or 
your  friends  or  the  college  in  such  a  position.  In 
the  next  place,  you  have  reached  a  time  of  life  when 
you  must  accept  the  full  responsibility  for  your  own 
judgments  and  conduct.  Your  plain  duty  now  calls 
you  in  one  direction,  and  your  strong  personal  in- 
clination calls  you  in  another.  You  will  find  that  it 
116 


College  Life 

is  a  part  of  the  necessary  discipline  of  life  to  do  hard 
and  disagreeable  things  in  the  line  of  your  duty,  and 
often  in  the  face  of  the  most  urgent  inclinations  to  the 
contrary.  Unless  you  learn  that  lesson  you  will  fail 
in  the  most  essential  element  of  your  training  as  a  n^an 
and  a  Christian.  You  understand  perfectly  well,  too, 
that  any  act  of  insubordination  on  your  part,  as  an 
ofificer  in  the  battalion,  could  not  fail  to  do  injury  to 
others  as  well  as  to  yourself  No  man  can  ever  cotn- 
?nand  well  who  has  not  first  learned  to  obey  well.' 

"  It  was  a  fine  thing  to  witness  the  intense  conflict 
with  himself  through  which  he  then  passed.  He 
stood  irresolute,  staggered,  but  at  first  apparently  un- 
moved from  his  original  purpose.  The  struggle  evi- 
dently stirred  his  whole  being.  Presently  he  said, 
*  If  I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  of  course  1  should  stay,  but 
I  don't.'  I  replied,  'Your  duty  is  to  do  the  task 
which  is  regularly  assigned  to  you  until  some  other 
assigned  task  calls  you  away  from  it.'  He  went 
away  to  think  it  over.  He  gave  up  his  project  and 
attended  to  his  duty  at  the  drill.  He  did  it  with  as 
much  heartiness  and  thoroughness  and  appearance  of 
interest  as  he  had  ever  shown,  never,  so  far  as  I 
knew,  at  that  time  or  afterward,  betraying  the 
slightest  sign  of  reluctance  or  resentment. 

"This  twofold  nature,  an  impulsive  and  enthusi- 
astic interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  moment  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  a  high  and  steadfast  conscientious- 
ness of  purpose  was  perhaps  his  most  striking  char- 
acteristic. The  former  not  infrequently  led  him  to 
forget  duties  or  requirements  in  the  routine  of  college 
life  which  properly  demanded  attention,  but  his  bal- 
ance of  judgment  ultimately  asserted  itself.  He  more 
than  once  failed  to  obtain  excuses  within  the  time 
required  by  college  rules,  for  absences  necessarily  in- 
117 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Lite 

ciirred,  till  his  record  reached  the  danger  point.  Had 
a  stranger  to  whom  the  fibre  of  the  man  was  un- 
known, seen  this  record,  he  might  have  formed  a 
most  unjust  estimate  of  his  attention  to  duty.  But 
those  who  knew  him  recall  among  instances  illustrat- 
ing the  intense  earnestness  of  his  character,  a  con- 
spicuous occasion  one  winter,  when  he  was  anxious 
to  keep  an  engagement  in  Bellefonte.  The  day 
previous  a  remarkably  heavy  snowstorm  occurred, 
completely  blocking  the  railroad  and  the  highways 
for  all  ordinary  travel.  Beaver  waited  till  afternoon, 
only  to  see  the  storm  increase,  and  then,  in  spite  of 
the  remonstrances  of  his  friends,  set  out  to  walk  the 
distance  of  nearly  twelve  miles  over  practically  im- 
passable roads.  It  proved  to  be,  as  his  friends  had 
feared,  a  most  hazardous  undertaking,  and  we  learned 
afterward  that  many  times  he  was  obliged  to  get 
down  and  roll  over  drifts  to  prevent  sinking  beneath 
them.     But  he  met  his  appointment. 

"  Toward  the  close  of  his  college  career  and  for  a 
period  after  his  graduation  I  had  occasion  to  observe 
his  aptitude  for  business  affairs.  The  fraternity  to 
which  he  belonged  was  having  a  house  built  on  the 
college  premises,  and  he,  as  a  member  of  a  com- 
mittee representing  the  fraternity,  had  occasion  two 
or  three  times,  to  appear  before  a  committee  of  the 
board  of  trustees  for  the  purpose  of  agreeing  upon 
final  arrangements  respecting  the  property.  His 
clearness  of  conception,  his  careful  study  of  all  the 
elements  involved  in  claims  and  counter  claims,  his 
directness  in  stating  his  own  case  and,  in  general,  his 
many  sided  comprehension  of  every  subject  consid- 
ered were  to  me  a  revelation  of  skill  and  resources 
which  gave  me,  for  the  first  time,  an  impression  of 
great  reserved  power. 

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College  Life 

"This  impression  was  signally  deepened  in  the 
course  of  my  last  two  or  three  talks  with  him  during 
the  year  before  his  death.  He  was  no  longer  a  col- 
lege student.  He  had  heard  an  inward  voice  and 
seen  an  inward  vision  beckoning  him  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  work  of  helping  other  young  men.  He 
had  seen  and  entered  upon  the  way  in  which  he  be- 
lieved he  could  do  it.  All  his  enthusiasms  were  now 
becoming  blended  in  one  great  overmastering  enthu- 
siasm, and  his  whole  manner  was  that  of  a  man  in- 
spired by  a  single  noble  aim.  But,  with  it  all,  was 
the  same  cool  and  skillful  practical  judgment  which 
he  had  shown  in  the  transaction  of  business  for  his 
fraternity,  leading  him  to  the  most  painstaking  study 
of  the  adaptation  of  means  to  ends.  There  was  an 
utter  absence  of  self-consciousness  or  conceit,  coupled 
with  absolute  confidence  in  his  power  to  accomplish 
his  objects.  It  was  the  nearest  approach  I  have  ever 
seen  to  a  great  enthusiasm  acting  on  business  princi- 
ples. In  my  very  last  conversation  with  him  I  found 
that  he  had  become  interested  in  Captain  Pratt's 
work  at  the  Carlisle  Indian  School  and  was  now  re- 
volving in  his  mind  the  whole  problem  of  uplifting, 
civilizing,  educating  and  Christianizing  that  race. 
He  had  made  himself  familiar  with  the  records  of  in- 
dividual students;  knew  what  they  were  doing,  what 
their  plans  were,  what  their  qualities  and  fitnesses 
were,  and  was  setting  himself  to  find  out  how  he 
could  best  help  them. 

"It  may  seem  somewhat  like  exaggeration,  but  it 
is  the  simple  truth  to  say  that  no  young  man  has 
ever  given  me  such  an  impression  of  almost  limitless 
power,  and  possibility  for  a  great  career  as  did  Hugh 
Beaver  in  that  last  interview.  A  few  months  later, 
during  a  temporary  absence  in  Europe,  I  heard  of 
119 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Lite 

his  death  with  a  stunned  sense  of  incredulousness.  It 
did  not  seem  possible  that  such  a  force  could  have 
been  so  suddenly  quenched,  and  my  only  hope  in 
writing  these  brief  notes  is  that  they  may  help  some- 
what in  keeping  alive  in  the  minds  of  young  men 
the  influences  which  in  his  too  short  life  he  had 
already  set  in  motion." 

One  of  Hugh's  college  professors  added  this 
loving  testimony: 

"  The  first  year  that  I  served  here  as  '  division  of- 
ficer '  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  have  on  my  lists 
Hugh  and  his  friend,  Mr.  B.  They  gave  me  a  good 
bit  of  trouble,  for  what  one  did  the  otlier  wanted  to 
do,  so  that  their  absenteeism  was  usually  paired  as  I 
miglit  say.  Hugh  would  work  the  system  of  '  cuts' 
for  all  it  was  worth  and  Mr.  B.  would  generally  fol- 
low suit.  I  never  knew  Hugh  to  transgress  the 
limit,  but  time  and  again  he  kept  me  on  the  *  qui 
vive '  to  see  that  the  system  was  not  misused. 

"In  February,  1895,  a  severe  snowstorm  visited 
this  part  of  Pennsylvania.  The  thermometer  for  three 
days  did  not  rise  higher  than  six  degrees  below  zero. 
Tlie  snow  was  piled  three  feet  high  on  an  average  and 
drifts  filled  the  roads  so  that  for  miles  together  travel- 
ling had  to  be  done  through  the  fields.  The  night 
when  the  storm  proved  the  worst,  Hugh  started  home 
to  Bcllefonte  and  walked  the  entire  twelve  miles  (no 
train  could  run  at  that  time).  I  heard  about  it ;  that 
he  got  to  Bellefonte  with  great  difficulty.  He  was  so 
badly  disabled  as  not  to  appear  in  college  for  a  few 
days  following.  But  when  he  had  assigned  his  rea- 
sons (for  his  absence),  I  remarked  to  him  that  a  man 
who  had  pluck  enough  to  face  that  storm  because  he 
120 


College  Life 

wanted  to  get  home,  need  not  render  me  any  other 
excuse. 

"  Genial,  sunny,  alert, — oh  how  lovely  he  was  ! 
Many  an  hour  of  my  life  at  State  College,  when  I 
first  came,  was  made  happy  as  if  with  spring-sunlight 
by  Hugh's  broad  smile  and  the  twinkle  of  his  eyes. 
We  talked  moral  questions.  We  talked  religious 
questions.  We  talked  Northfield — and  particularly 
so  as  it  was  near  my  old  home  of  so  many  years. 

"I  have  taught  more  than  a  quarter  century.  I 
never  had  a  more  genial,  manly  man  under  my  in- 
struction than  Hugh.  He  had  the  stuff  saints  are 
made  of.  .  .  .  When  I  think  of  the  white-robed 
company  to  which  he  has  gone  and  to  which  one  of 
my  own  has  but  just  departed,  I  cannot  help  praying 
at  times,  '  O  God  that  1  were  there.' 

"  '  Oh  sweet  and  blessed  country 
The  home  of  God's  elect.'  " 

The  following  testimony  from  a  fellow  stu- 
dent may  be  added: 

"He  was  always  active;  always  temperate  in  all 
things  ;  regular  in  the  amount  of  sleep,  caring  for  the 
body  and  health  ;  notably  regular  in  such  things  for 
a  boy  liberated  from  the  restraints  of  home.  Always 
cordial  and  sincere  toward  all  students  regardless  of 
their  type.  A  hand-shake,  a  kindly  inquiry,  a  good 
greeting  to  all  after  a  separation,  such  as  vacation  or 
any  absence.  This  attitude  was  constant  and  not 
subject  to  moods.  Hugh  was  full  of  respect  and  love 
for  all,  and  won  the  same  from  all  the  fellows  in  con- 
tact with  him. 

"  He  was  charitable  in  judgment.  I  have  heard 
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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

him  say,  when  a  weaker  fellow  was  being  condemned 
for  a  failing,  '  Yes,  but  you  do  not  know  what  he  may 
have  had  to  contend  with  within  himself.'  This 
was  a  general  reply  to  those  of  harsher  judgment. 

"  Hugh's  mannerisms  were  those  of  an  enthusias- 
tic, warm-hearted,  broad-minded,  congenial  fellow ; 
fond  of  companions  and  always  alert  to  lend  a  help- 
ing hand  and  to  drop  a  kind  word.  His  presence  in- 
variably 'brightened  a  crowd  up,'  and  a  low  plane  of 
conversation  was  not  tolerated  by  those  fellows  who 
would  do  so  under  other  circumstances.  Hugh  was 
a  good  and  conscientious  student ;  stood  well  up  in 
his  class ;  a  thorough  collegian,  but  not  a  book- 
worm. Outside  of  his  physique,  he  was  what  college 
men  style,  '  A  representative  college  man.'  " 


122 


FIRST    MONTHS  OF  WORK   IN   PENNSYLVANIA 

"  My  good  blade  carves  the  casques  of  men, 
My  tough  lance  thrusteth  sure, 
My  strength  is  as  the  strength  of  ten, 

Because  my  heart  is  pure. "^Tennyson,  Sir  Galahad. 

The  summer  of  1895  was  spent  at  Bellefonte 
with  the  exception  of  the  last  week  of  June  and 
the  first  two  weeks  of  July,  during  which  Hugh 
attended  the  conference  for  college  men,  at 
Northfield.  Hugh  was  receiving  rather  than  giv- 
ing at  this  conference.  He  felt  his  immaturity 
and  inexperience  and  was  not  ready  yet  to  take 
many  responsibilities  of  leadership.  Extracts 
from  his  notebook  will  show  what  truths  were 
appealing  to  him  and  will  illustrate  also  his  free 
simple  ways  of  stating  what  he  heard: 

"Importance  of  Bible  study  to  individual  student, 
to  the  church,  to  the  association.  Upon  this  hangs 
all.  Are  the  meetings  cold?  Do  the  men  lack  de- 
sire to  do  personal  work.     Look  to  your  Bible  study." 

"  John  vi.  27.     Speak  only  as  loud  as  you  live." 

"No  elective  studies  in  Christ's  school.  Leave 
evil  habits.  Do  you  scratch  the  frost  off  the  window 
panes?  Heat  up  the  room,  the  frost  melts.  Take 
care  to  whom  you  give  the  night  key  of  your  heart." 

"  Qualifications  for  the  ministry,  i.  Ability  to 
123 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

speak — physical  and  mental.  2.  Hunger  after  truth. 
Love  your  Bible.  3.  A*  love  for  your  Lord.  4.  A 
hunger  for  souls.     5.   Immovable  faith  in  the  Bible." 

"  Dr.  Mabie  says,  '  I  thank  God  that  in  my  college 
days  I  had  a  roommate  who  talked  to  me  of  spiritual 
things, — the  greatest  blessing  of  my  college  course.'  " 

"  Never  will  you  be  filled  with  God's  spirit  until 
you  are  occupied  with  Jesus.  Do  not  wait  for  the 
feeling  of  power.  When  we  are  weak,  then  are  we 
strong." 

"Dr.  Cuyler  said,  'Remember  that  you  represent 
Jesus  Christ  in  that  college.  Do  men  see  you  repre- 
sent Him  on  the  campus  and  in  the  classroom.  God 
help  you,  young  brother,  to  get  your  hand  on  some 
man's  shoulder  for  Christ,  that  the  grasp  may  outlive 
you.  The  secret  of  Spurgeon's  power  was  his 
prayers.  If  we  can't  pray,  we  can't  preach.  Keep 
faith  alert.'  " 

"Exodus  XXV.  1-8.  Mr.  Moody  says,  'Gold  has 
no  value  in  heaven,  but  to  man,  it  is  nearest  his  heart 
and  God  wants  heart-service.  He  wants  the  best  we 
have.  I'm  glad  He  wants  the  goat's  hair  too.  There 
are  many  in  fine  purple,  but,  bless  you,  the  goat 
hair's  more  plenty.'  " 

"  Personal  life  of  students  in  college  the  great  cause 
of  success  or  failure.     Make  us  pure  !  " 

"  We  want  men  of  no  uncertain  tone  in  life.  God 
give  us  men  of  that  stamp.  Help  me.  Lord,  so  to 
live." 

"If  we  have  not  gained  victory  for  ourselves,  we 
are  the  last  persons  to  try  to  help  others.  The  lust  of 
the  flesh  we  must  overcome.  God  help  us.  To  him 
that  overcometh  shall  I  " — 

Hugh's  friend  who  has  been  already  quoted  in 

124 


First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

connection  with  the  development  of  his  spiritual 
life  says  that  at  this  conference  Hugh 

"  Took  more  active  part  in  the  work  and  his  interest 
deepened  greatly,  but  in  contrast  to  his  last  year  at 
Northfield,  I  think  this  conference  and  the  former 
one  are  characterized  by  a  spirit  of  changeableness. 
He  told  me  in  the  meetings  he  would  be  so  full  and 
feel  so  happy  that  he  was  sure  his  life  would  be  difier- 
ent,  but  often  before  the  day  was  over  he  had  become 
indifferent  to  what  he  knew  were  his  Master's  desires 
for  him.  His  last  year  at  Northfield  was  the  reverse. 
Temptations  seemed  wiped  out  of  his  nature  and  he 
told  me  instead  of  it's  being  hard  for  him  to  pray  in 
public  he  longed  for  the  opportunity. 

"It  was  during  the  conference  of  '95  that  he 
shrank  from  being  asked  to  pray  in  public." 

Hugh  had  charge  of  the  Fourth  of  July  cele- 
bration at  this  conference,  and  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  Athletics  Committee,  positions  of  con- 
siderable prominence  among  the  students. 

On  returning  home  after  Northfield  he  sent  his 
account  of  travelling  expenses  to  the  office  of  the 
State  Committee  of  the  Pennsylvania  Y.  M.  C. 
A.,  one  of  whose  secretaries  he  now  was,  dimin- 
ishing the  amount,  with  characteristic  conscien- 
tiousness, to  what  it  would  have  cost  if  he  had 
gone  as  cheaply  as  possible  and  saying  :  "  Back 
again  from  Northfield  and  feeling  much  better 
prepared  for  the  Fall  than  before,  though  the 
source  of  all  strength  still  remains  the  same. 

125 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Wish  you  could  have  been  with  us  there.  Penn- 
sylvania turned  out  1 18  men.  New  York  stood 
second  with  sixty-eight.  If  the  blessing  was  in 
proportion  we  must  expect  great  things  during 
this  coming  year." 

Some  notes  seem  to  indicate  that  he  made  a  lit- 
tle study  of  the  Bible  teachings  regarding  the 
second  coming  of  Christ  during  the  summer  and 
an  outline  of  one  talk  on  Luke  viii.  26-39  is  dated 
"Bellefonte,  Aug.  4,  1895": 

"Luke  viii.  26-39.  Man's  condition.  Ours. 
Lust.  Appetite.  Mind.  Great  Healer  willing  to 
fill  us.  Healed.  In  right  mind.  Are  we  ?  Father 
and  Son.  Asked  Him  to  depart.  Answered.  Pha- 
roah's  prayer.  Depart.  Ex.  x.  28,  29.  Answer. 
Men  to-day.  Spirit  depart.  More  convenient  day. 
We  know  not  hour.  We  want  to  be  with  Him.  Pos- 
sible. Lo,  I  am  with  you  always  even  unto  end. 
Tell  others  what  great  things  He  has  done." 

In  September,  Hugh  entered  actively  upon  his 
work  among  the  students  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
were  gathered  in  forty-nine  institutions,  twenty- 
one  colleges  and  universities,  seven  professional 
schools,  eleven  state  normal  schools,  nine  pre- 
paratory schools  and  one  Indian  industrial  school. 
He  made  monthly  reports  of  his  work,  indicating 
the  institutions  visited  and  the  work  done  at 
each,  and  adding  often  some  supplementary  re- 
marks and  his  correspondence,  exceedingly  scanty 

126 


First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

before,  became  quite  full.  It  will  be  possible  ac- 
cordingly to  set  forth  the  general  course  of  his 
work  and  the  revelation  and  development  of  his 
character  in  it  largely  in  his  own  letters.  These 
letters  begin  in  his  naturally  earnest,  breezy  way: 

"  Bloomsburg,  Pa.,  September  7,  1895. 
"...  Held  two  meetings  at ,  one  with  mem- 
bers of  committees,  the  other  with  students  in  gen- 
eral. In  the  latter  meeting  one  man  accepted  Christ 
and  later  in  a  personal  interview  another.  There 
seemed  to  be  quite  a  number  halting  who  could  be 
reached  if  done  at  once.  .  .  .  The  president  of  the 
association  is  a  man  of  push  but  I  fear  rubs  the 
wrong  way  very  often.  .  .  .  Chairman  of  the  Bible 
study  committee  is  an  old  Prof,  with  no  *  get  up  and 
dust '  about  him.     Did  all  I  could  to  wake  him  up." 

"Jersey  Shore,  September  12,  1895. 
"...  At  Bloomsburg  Normal  School  had  meet- 
ing on  Personal  Purity  for  men  alone.  Six  men  ac- 
cepted Christ.  Personal  interviews  with  five  of  them 
and  quite  a  number  of  the  other  fellows.  In  the  joint 
meeting  in  the  evening  one  young  man  and  one  young 
woman  accepted  Him.  .  .  .  Pray  for  the  men  that 
have  lately  come  out.  A  hard  fight  is  ahead  of  some. 
May  they  go  often  to  Him." 

In  the  middle  of  the  month  he  went  back  to  his 
old  college  to  be  present  when  the  year's  work 
began,  and  reports  "Met  workers.  'Decision 
Meeting.'  About  forty  new  men  made  a  stand 
for  Christ,  several  for  the  first  time.  Meeting 
for  students.     Many  new  men  reached." 

127 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

In  his  new  work  he  kept  aUve  all  his  healthful 
interests.  He  writes  from  Washington,  Penn- 
sylvania, to  his  mother,  on  September  22d: 

"Went  to  the  telephone  office  last  night  and  the 
man  very  kindly  called  up  one  of  the  Pittsburg  papers 
to  find  out  who  had  been  successful  in  the  inter- 
national atliletic  meet  in  New  York.  When  I  found 
out  that  dear  old  Uncle  Sam  had  more  than  used 
John  Bull  up  I  went  to  bed  happy." 

In  accordance  with  this  same  interest  he  made 
an  effort  this  month  to  get  an  active  Christian 
man  "a  first-class  baseball  player"  from  Blooms- 
burg  Normal  School  into  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. He  wished  to  take  a  medical  course 
but  was  poor  and  would  have  to  go  where  the 
expense  was  least  and  to  gain  the  influence  of 
his  strong  Christian  life  in  the  University,  Hugh 
endeavored  to  have  financial  assistance  given  to 
him. 

Hugh  did  not  find  much  life  in  the  work  at 
Washington  and  Jefferson,  and  two  days  after 
his  visit  writes  back  to  one  of  the  students: 

"September  24,  1895. 
"Just  back  from  California  (a  school  in  Western 
Pennsylvania).  Found  all  at  work  there.  That's 
how  she  must  be  at  W.  &  J.  I  think  B.  will  prove 
a  right  hand  man,  and  the  two  of  you  certainly  know- 
ing the  source  of  all  power,  ought  to  be  able  to  waken 
the  men  up.     We  can't  sing,  revive  Thy  work,  can't 

128 


First  Months  of  Work   in   Pennsylvania 

pray,  revive  Thy  work,  with  any  expectation  of  hav- 
ing our  prayers  answered,  unless  we  are  willing  to 
allow  God  to  use  us,  and  to  have  Him  use  us  we  must 
get  to  work.  We  must  have  push  of  the  right  kind, 
and  the  Pres.  in  particular  must  be  a  wide-awake 
man.  Keep  in  touch  with  the  Master  through  prayer 
and  Bible  study  and  then  do  your  best,  and  1  am  very 
sure  He  will  honor  your  efforts.  I  think  it  might  be 
well  to  talk  matters  over  with  B.  Keep  him  at  it. 
Get  at  it  yourself  and  the  Christian  men  will  soon  all 
be  at  work.  Stop  thinking  you  can't  reach  Frat. 
men.  One  good  man  reached  may  set  the  rest  on 
fire.  Pray  much  by  name  definitely,  and  then  try  to 
reach  them  personally.  I  am  praying  for  you.  He 
stands  ready  to  help  you.  Let  us  do  all  we  can  at 
once  for  Him. 

"  Yours  in  His  service, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver. 
"  God  bless  you,  old  man." 

Hugh's  work  was  successful  from  the  begin- 
ning. He  saw,  himself,  that  God  was  making  use 
of  him.  From  New  Wilmington  he  wrote  to  his 
mother  on  September  26,  "Held  two  meetings 
last  night  and  had  men  with  me  in  my  room  here 
at  the  hotel.  I  am  very  thankful  that  our  Father 
has  given  me  His  power."  But  he  believed  that 
the  secret  of  continued  and  enlarged  power  was 
prayer,  and  in  this  same  letter  he  adds  a  request 
for  prayer  as  he  does  also  in  a  letter  to  Gettys- 
burg, which  also  indicates  what  he  was  speaking 
about  to  the  students : 

129 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"Lancaster,  Pa.,  October  9,  1895. 

"...  I  find  so  far,  talks  on  Bible  study  and 
prayer,  or  one  of  a  general  nature  to  stir  up  Christian 
men,  or  personal  purity  ,  are  the  subjects  most  needed. 
Of  course  it  depends  upon  the  men  you  get  to  the 
meetings  what  subjects  should  be  chosen.  ...  If 
talk  is  on  line  of  character  building  or  personal  pur- 
ity, earnest  effort  should  be  made  to  get  non-Chris- 
tians out  to  it. 

"Trust  you  have  been  and  will  continue  much  in 
prayer  as  to  my  visit,  I  realize  that  apart  from  Him 
we  can  do  nothing.  Let  us  allow  Him  to  use  us. 
Arrange  meeting  or  meetings  as  you  think  best,  and 
we'll  trust  God  for  some  blessing. 

"  Yours  in  His  service, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

"Gettysburg,  Pa.,  Oct.  13,  1895. 
"]\Iv  dear  Mother: 

"...  To-day  has  been  delightful.  Two 
meetings  with  a  large  turnout.  In  the  last  only  one 
empty  seat  left.  God  spoke  to  the  men  here  and 
consequently  my  visit  has  been  a  very  happy  one. 
.  .  .  T.'s  letters  help  me  very  much.  I  always  know 
she  is  praying  for  me  and  have  faith  in  her  prayers  as 
well  as  in  those  of  my  many  college  friends. 
"  Affectionately,  thy  son, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

On  leaving  Gettysburg  he  went  to  Mercers- 
burg,  where  he  reported  "Conference  with 
President,  etc.  Personal  Purity  Meeting.  Twenty- 
seven  men  express  desire  to  accept  Christ.  Per- 
sonal interviews  until  one  a.  m."  He  was  deeply 
130 


First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

stirred  here.  The  next  day  he  wrote  back  from 
Shippensburg  to  two  men  who  were  evidently 
hesitating  on  the  edge  of  open  and  manly  con- 
fession of  Christ. 

"Shippensburg,  Oct.,  15,  '95. 
•'  Dear  R.  : 

"You  will  probably  be  surprised  to  hear 
from  me,  but  you  have  occupied  such  a  large  place  in 
my  thoughts  since  last  night,  that  I  write  at  the  risk 
of  being  thought  forward. 

"My  prayers  have  been  going  up  for  you  very 
often  since  our  talk,  for  I  realize  what  it  means  to 
let  this  matter  go.  When  the  call  has  come  I  know 
it  is  dangerous  to  simply  neglect  it.  In  the  first 
place,  it  will  be  harder  if  you  ever  do  make  the  stand 
than  now.  And  secondly,  you  run  a  great  risk  in 
that  you  may  so  grieve  the  Spirit  that  He  may  not 
speak  again.  We  know  not  when  our  time  of  prepa- 
ration is  to  end,  and  when  we  may  be  called  away. 
Please  read  in  4th  chap,  of  James  13-17.  I  pray 
that  He  may  speak  through  that. 

"  I  enclose  a  card  I  found  in  my  Bible  as  a  marker. 
That  is  the  entire  matter  in  a  nut  shell.  Not  merely 
an  intellectual  belief,  but  that  which  takes  Him  as  a 
personal  Saviour;  i  John  i.  8-10;  i  Tim.  i.  15,  16. 
The  thing  that  helps  us  most  after  accepting  Christ  is 
to  confess  Him  openly.  Surely  we  are  not  mean 
enough  to  be  ashamed  of  our  best  friend ;  Rom.  x. 
9-1 1.  Please  get  a  Bible  and  look  references  up. 
May  God  lead  you  to  decide  at  once. 

"  Write  me  if  you  feel  like  it  to  Bellefonte,  Pa. 
"  Your  sincere  friend, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 
131 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"  Shippensburg,  Pa.,  Oct.  15,  '95. 
"  My  df.ar  H.  : 

"  Here  it  goes  even  at  the  risk  of  surprising 
you.  I  wish  1  could  have  had  a  fuller  talk  with  you 
last  night.  I  pray  you  may  make  a  bold  stand  for 
Christ,  not  a  half-way  acceptance,  keeping  it  to  your- 
self, but  take  Him  to  keep  you  pure.  Get  your  Bible 
and  read  Rom.  x.  9-13,  and  with  His  help  do  it. 
Honestly,  old  man,  it  will  give  you  great  peace  and 
joy  after  you  have  done  it.  It  may  be  hard,  but  we 
are  manly  enough  to  acknowledge  a  friendship  that 
means  to  us  what  this  one  should.  If  you  neglect  to 
make  a  stand  now,  it  will  be  much  harder  the  next 
time,  should  God  speak  to  you,  and  to  be  frank  we 
are  apt  to  become  so  hardened  we  do  not  hear  His 
voice.  We  can  never  tell  when  our  time  of  prepara- 
tion will  end,  see  James  iv.  13-17.  God  help  you  to 
make  a  manly  stand,  both  on  account  of  what  it  will 
mean  to  you,  and  because  I  am  sure  it  will  help  others, 
— may  lead  some  one  else  to  do  likewise. 

"  If  you  have  time  and  inclination  I  would  be  glad 
to  have  you  write  me.  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  will  reach 
me,  but  do  not  feel  compelled  to  write,  only  if  you 
feel  like  it.  I  can't  tell  you  how  happy  it  will  make 
me  if  you  can  tell  me  you  have  proved  yourself  a  man. 
I  pray  for  you. 

"Sincerely  your  friend, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

From  Shippensburg  Hugh  wrote  to  Carlisle  also 
regarding  his  visit  there  and  the  subjects  it  would 
be  best  to  speak  upon: 

"As  to  character  of  meeting,  if  to  Christian  men 
there  will  be  no  difficulty,  but  if  to  student  body,  the 
132 


First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

subject  is  important.  If  you  have  had  no  talk  on 
Personal  Purity  and  need  it,  that  may  be  the  best  sub- 
ject. God  has  blessed  my  efforts  on  that  line.  We 
know  the  need,  but  unless  we  can  get  men  out  to 
consider  that  need,  I  would  rather  not  talk  upon  it. 
Whatever  the  subject  I  trust  you  and  your  men  will 
be  much  in  prayer  about  it,  and  that  He  may  bless 
the  effort.  'Apart  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing,' 
keep  it  in  mind  and  look  to  Him  for  power. 

"If  possible,  see  Hawk  of  Indian  School,  if  there 
is  doubt  about  time  of  meetings.  I  pray  that  He 
may  guide  us  as  we  decide  upon  a  subject  and  then 
furnish  the  power  to  speak  upon  it." 

Hugh  had  come  to  see  the  need  of  phiin  and 
honest  speech  on  the  subject  of  Personal  Purity, 
and  he  was  an  unflinching  enemy  of  ail  unclean- 
ness.  He  was  constantly  speaking  of  the  hid- 
eousness  and  sin  of  the  spotted  life.  But  he 
never  lost  that  freshness  and  innocence  of  char- 
acter which  the  over  curiosity  and  prurient  im- 
agination of  some  advocates  of  social  purity  cause 
them  to  lose.  Hugh  kept  a  clean  imagination 
and  a  pure  heart  and  sought  to  think  and  speak 
about  the  awful  vices  of  our  life  in  such  a  way 
as  to  do  himself  least  harm  and  others  most 
good.  He  wrote  at  this  time  the  following  letter 
to  a  paper  published  in  the  interest  of  Purity: 

"  The  Philanthropist, 

"Box  2554,  New  York  City. 

"Enclosed  find  $1.00  for  which  please  send 
me  the  Philanthropist's  Social  Purity  and  the  White 
133 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Cross,  one  copy.  Personal  and  Public  Purity,  one 
copy.  That  leaves  twenty-five  cents  unaccounted  for. 
Please  send  me  some  of  your  latest  and  best  publica- 
tions to  that  extent.  The  copy  of  the  paper  I  have 
is  old,  and  I  take  it  for  granted  that  many  pamplilets 
have  come  out  since.  In  my  work  as  college  secre- 
tary I  have  fought  impurity.  Through  your  paper  I 
hope  to  be  better  prepared  to  fight  it.  The  Holy 
Spirit  has  convicted  scores  of  men  of  sin  on  this  line, 
and  in  it  more  than  any  other,  they  have  felt  the  use- 
lessness  of  figluing  in  their  own  strength.  Any  infor- 
mation you  may  be  able  to  give  me  as  to  recent  pub- 
lications will  be  appreciated." 

Hugh  signed  a  White  Cross  pledge  which  he 
carried  in  his  Bible.  It  is  dated  at  West  Chester, 
Nov.  12,  1895,  and  reads: 

'  My  strength  is  as  the  strength  often 
Because  my  heart  is  pure.' 

"I,  Hugh  McA.  Beaver, 

"  Promise  by  the  Help  of  God 
"  I.     To   treat  all  women  with  respect  and  en- 
deavor to  protect  them  from  wrong  and  degradation. 
"2.     To  endeavor  to  put  down  all  indecent  lan- 
guage and  coarse  jests. 

"3.  To  maintain  the  law  of  purity  as  equally 
binding  upon  men  and  women. 

"  4.  To  endeavor  to  spread  these  principles  among 
my  companions  and  to  try  to  help  my  younger 
brothers. 

"5.     To  use  every  possible  means  to  fulfill  the 
command,  '  Keep  thyself  pure.'  " 
134 


First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

He  also  wore  a  little  White  Cross  pin. 

As  he  travelled  about,  Hugh  kept  remembrance 
of  men  whom  he  had  met  who  needed  further 
help,  "to  be  jollied  along"  as  he  would  have  put 
it,  and  when  the  thought  of  such  a  man  came  to 
him  he  sat  down  and  wrote  back  to  him.  He 
kept  also  a  list  of  people  to  be  prayed  for  in  the 
front  of  his  Bible.  Thus  he  writes  to  a  student 
at  Mercersburg  College: 

"  Haverford  College,  Pa.,  Nov.  13,  '95. 
"  My  dear  Old  ]\Ian  : 

"I  have  thought  very  often  of  you  and  your 
fellow  students,  and  have  hoped  that  you  would  find 
time  to  write  me.  My  own  time  has  been  very  fully 
occupied  with  my  work  else  I  would  have  written 
sooner.  Let  me  hear  from  you  just  how  things  are 
moving  with  yourself  and  the  fellows,  particularly  E. 
and  some  of  the  others  that  were  interested  that  night. 
God  grant  that  it  may  have  been  something  more 
than  a  passing  interest.  Get  your  Bible  and  read  the 
2d  chapter  of  2  Tim.  I  want  you  to  plan  to  get  up 
to  Northfield,  Mass.,  next  summer  to  the  Students' 
Conference.  It  will  begin  June  26th,  and  lasts  ten 
days.  You  can  get  the  money  all  O.  K.  and  should 
go.     It  will  mean  much  to  you. 

"I  send  you  a  White  Cross  pledge.  Wish  I  had 
had  them  with  me  when  I  was  in  Mercersburg. 

"God  keep  you  old  boy  very  near  to  Himself,  and 
that  means  we  must  try  to  keep  near  Him. 
"  Write  me  at  Bellefonte. 

"  Your  sincere  friend, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 
135 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Several  days  later  Hugh  was  at  Kutztown, 
Pennsylvania,  at  the  school  located  there.  A 
lecture  in  the  evening  obliged  him  to  have  his 
meeting  at  seven  in  the  morning.  During  the 
day  he  had  some  time  for  quiet  meditation,  and 
the  life  that  had  been  steadily  deepening  found 
expression  in  this  deed  of  consecration,  written 
on  the  back  of  the  White  Cross  pledge  already 
referred  to,  found  after  his  death. 

"Kutztown,  Pa.,  Nov.  i6,  '95. 

"  'Just  as  I  am, — Thy  love  unknown 
Has  broken  every  barrier  down ; 
Now  to  be  Thine,  yea  Thine  alone 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come.' 

"This  i6th  day  of  November,  1895,  I,  Hugh 
McA.  Beaver,  do  of  my  own  free  will,  give  myself, 
all  that  I  am  and  have,  entirely,  unreservedly  and  un- 
qualifiedly to  Him,  whom  having  not  seen  I  love,  on 
whom,  though  now  I  see  Him  not,  I  believe.  Bought 
with  a  price,  I  give  myself  to  Him  who  at  the  cost  of 
His  own  blood  purchased  me.  Now  committing  my- 
self to  Him  who  is  able  to  guard  me  from  stumbling 
and  to  set  me  before  the  presence  of  His  glory  with- 
out blemish  in  exceeding  joy,  I  trust  myself  to  Him, 
for  all  things,  to  be  used  as  He  shall  see  fit  where  He 
shall  see  fit.  Sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  filled  with 
the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  understanding,  to  Him 
be  all  glory,  world  without  end.     Amen. 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver. 
"Jan.  19,  '96,  Phil.  4:19." 
136 


First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

How  Hugh  came  to  make  this  deed  he  tells  in 
the  following  letter  to  his  mother: 

"I  had  been  having  good  meetings  all  along  but  I 
felt  that  there  was  a  great  yearning  in  my  life  that  as 
yet  had  not  been  satisfied.  At  Kutztown  it  became 
so  manifest  that  I  slept  poorly,  so  early  in  the  morn- 
ing I  arose  and  asked  God  what  was  the  matter,  then 
I  wrote  out  a  deed  giving  myself  absolutely  to  Him, 
to  be  used  as  He  should  see  fit,  where  He  should  see 
fit,  and  then  I  simply  trusted  Him.  Gradually  that 
peace  which  passeth  understanding  has  come  upon 
me  as  never  before. 

"I  conducted  the  meeting  in  the  town  Y.  M.  C. 
A.  yesterday  afternoon,  and  our  Father  spoke  to  five 
men,  and  to  a  great  many  more  I  am  sure,  but  five 
indicated  it  to  us  in  the  meeting.  My  meeting  at 
this  college  has  been  one  that  I  dreaded  greatly,  yet 
God  spoke  there,  and  the  Christian  men  seem  roused. 
I'll  not  speak  further,  my  eyes  simply  overflow  with 
tears  of  quiet  joy  very  often.  My  Bible  study  has 
been  different  to  me,  and  my  prayers  little  talks  to 
Him.  I  pray  God  that  nothing  may  ever  come  into 
my  life  to  interrupt  this  sweet  communion  with  Him. 
As  I  read  2d  Cor.  4th  chap,  beginning  with  7th 
verse  it  seemed  that  it  was  written  especially  for  me. 
May  our  dear  Heavenly  Father  be  so  near  to  us,  so 
dear  to  us  that  the  life  we  now  live  may  be  but  the 
manifestation  of  the  Christ-life.     God  grant  it." 

Plans  had  been  made  for  December,  including 
a  visit  to  the  State  Convention  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations  of  Kentucky,  where 

137 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Hugh  had  been  asked  to  speak  on  the  need  of 
spiritual  Ufe.     He  had  replied: 

"Feeling  that  you  could  have  better  taken  the 
topic  yourself,  as  I  am  a  very  young  man  in  the  work 
in  both  senses,  I  take  it  with  the  idea  that  you  and  all 
interested  will  make  it  a  special  subject  of  prayer. 
We'll  need  a  wide-awake  spiritual  life  ourselves  if  we 
are  to  impress  others  with  the  need." 

But  he  had  been  overtaxing  his  strength.  He 
had  written  in  September,  "hot  weather  is  hard 
on  me,"  and  when  the  weather  grew  cool  he  was 
hard  on  himself,  working  early  and  late,  con- 
stantly travelling  and  more  careful  of  his  Master's 
business  than  of  himself.  On  the  20th  of  No- 
vember he  went  home  with  diphtheria,  and  his 
next  letter  is  dated  December  4th,  to  the  Office 
Secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

"  Dear  Fencil 

"  I  feel  like  Jim  Burdick.  God  bless  you 
boy,  I  am  still  with  you,  though  I  did  feel  very  much 
like  Paul  in  Phil.  i.  23-24,  especially  23,  now  I  have 
come  to  decide  as  he  did,  24. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  could  not  turn  my  report  in  on  time, 
but  to-day  is  the  first  that  I  have  been  allowed  to 
write  and  my  head  tells  me  I  have  done  enough  al- 
ready. I  took  no  rest  days,  intending  to  get  home 
on  the  23d  to  prepare  for  Ky.  Conference,  but 
found  Meyerstown  could  not  take  me,  and  Fredericks- 
burg no  longer  exists,  a  fact  I  had  forgotten  in  mak- 
ing out  my  schedule.  Took  sick  at  Easton  but  stuck  to 
138 


First   Months  of  Work   in  Pennsylvania 

it  in  liope  I  could  stand  one  more  stop,  Annville,  and 
then  take  a  few  days'  rest.  Dr.  says  that  was  my 
mistake,  but  it's  over  now.  I  was  sick  when  I  ad- 
dressed my  meeting,  but  2  Cor.  iv.  7,  led  me  to 
speak,  notwithstanding.  We  had  a  good  meeting. 
Very  small,  but  God  spoke  to  some  of  the  men  I  am 
sure.  Have  put  a  good  deal  on  W.  because  he  has 
had  experience  in  Assc'n  wk.  and  has  a  mission  in 
city  Sunday  night,  so  things  have  gone  decidedly  off. 
They  claim  best  organization  in  student  volunteer 
men,  but  had  not  more  than  ten  freshmen  at  their 
reception  and  less  than  that  at  the  decision  meeting. 
One  of  their  best  men  walked  home  with  me  all 
broken  up,  a  student  volunteer,  but  neglecting  work 
in  college.  Pray  for  the  work  there.  It's  in  a  critical 
condition." 

On  the  same  day  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Bard,  the 
State  Secretary  having  charge  of  the  whole  work, 
Hugh's  having  been  solely  the  college  depart- 
ment: 

"Once  more  I  am  about,  expecting  to  go  down- 
stairs in  a  few  days,  and  tl.en  out  of  doors.  I  am 
not  dangerous,  eveji  now,  as  I  have  been  dipped  in  a 
bath  guaranteed  to  kill  everything  but  the  bather. 
Doctor  says  I'll  have  to  be  a  little  more  careful  of  my 
health  ;  I  go  it  too  hard.     I  am  resting  now,  see?  " 

One  other  letter  written  on  the  same  day  to  a 
student  at  Mansfield  shows  that  the  interests  of 
the  work  were  uppermost  in  his  thought: 

"One    important   thing   before   I   close:      Every 
Assc'n    in   the  state  but  yours  elects  Pres.  for  one 
139 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

year.  You  should  by  all  means  do  so.  It  takes  a 
man  some  time  to  understand  his  business,  as  1  have 
seen  in  many  institutions.  Cannot  you  have  tiie 
change  made  so  as  to  have  the  man  at  the  Pres. 
Conference  next  April  elected  for  a  year?  It  is  a 
matter  that  you  can  best  look  after  before  you  retire 
from  office.  Be  sure  the  right  man  is  elected  for  tlie 
year  then.  Push,  tact,  above  all  a  deep  love  for  Him, 
whom  though  we  have  not  seen  we  love,  in  whom, 
though  now  we  see  Him  not,  we  believe ;  find  such  a 
man. 

"  May  God  bless  you  and  your  fellow  workers,  and 
may  such  a  love  for  those  about  you  come  upon  you 
that  the  hand  to  hand  struggle  may  go  on  until  they 
are  brought  to  know  Him. 

"Yours  in  His  work, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver. 

"  My  kindest  regards  to  my  friends." 

His  sickness  had  been  very  trying  to  him  be- 
cause it  had  isolated  him  and  while  he  came 
later  greatly  to  love  Lowell's  lines,  which  he 
often  quoted  : 

"  If  chosen  souls  could  never  be  alone 
In  deep  'mid  silence  open-doored  to  God 
No  greatness  ever  had  been  dreamed  or  done. 
The  nurse  of  full  grown  souls  is  solitude," 

he  was  too  social  and  loving  to  like  such  long 
separation  and  in  one  of  his  last  letters  of  the  year 
he  wrote,  when  the  quarantine  was  off,  "Can't 
tell  you  how  I  look  forward  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
meeting  here  on  Sunday,  It  has  been  a  longtime 
since  I  have  met  the  Lord  with  others." 

140 


First  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

He  had  feared  at  times  during  his  sickness  that 
he  might  not  get  well  and  had  written  three  fare- 
well letters  to  be  fumigated  and  sent  to  friends  in 
case  of  his  death.  He  said  to  his  mother,  also, 
"Mother  dear,  don't  worry.  If  it  is  the  Lord's 
will  for  me  to  have  diphtheria  it  is  all  right,  and 
1  am  happy.  Only  have  the  Bible  texts  where  I 
can  read  them."  When  better  he  said  to  her, 
"I  was  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to 
depart  and  be  with  Christ  which  is  far  better,  but 
I  guess  He  has  more  work  for  me  here.  If  I  had 
gone,  mother  dear,  you  shouldn't  have  grieved  for 
me.  You  would  know  I  was  so  happy  and  only 
a  little  way  off.  Then  it  wouldn't  be  long  until 
we  would  all  be  together."  Still  it  was  only  with 
him 

"  High  nature  amorous  of  the  good, 
But  touched  with  no  ascetic  gloom." 

For  during  his  sickness  while  lying  in  bed  he 
thought  out  a  special  plan  for  enlarging  photo- 
graphs and  afterward  made  some  fine  enlarge- 
ments of  photographs  he  took  of  scenes  in  Centre 
County  and  in  California.  He  was  not  content 
with  the  roll  of  Bible  verses  which  hung  on  the 
wall  and  which  he  memorized.  He  asked  also 
for  an  old  Bible  which  could  be  burned  after  he 
had  used  it. 


141 


VI 

A   YEAR   AMONG   THE   STUDENTS   OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

This  was  King  Arthur's  dream.  Him  thought  that  there  was  come  into 
this  land  many  griffins  and  serpents  and  him  thought  that  they  burnt  and 
slew  all  the  people  in  the  land,  and  then  him  thought  that  he  fought  with 
them,  and  that  they  did  him  passing  great  damage,  and  wounded  him  full 
sore  ;  but  at  the  last  he  slew  them  all. — Malory's  King  Arthur. 

Hugh  began  in  January,  1896,  the  last  full  year 
of  his  life.  The  four  months  already  spent  in 
work  for  students  in  Pennsylvania  had  shown 
more  clearly  the  need  and  had  fitted  him  more 
perfectly  for  the  prosecution  of  the  work.  With 
increasing  sagacity  and  deepening  love  and 
warmer  zeal  he  gave  himself  for  the  young  men 
of  Pennsylvania,  earnestly  striving  to  persuade 
them  to  accept  life  abundantly  from  Christ. 
During  January  he  visited  only  the  Normal 
School  at  West  Chester  and  Professor  F.  H.  Green 
who  was  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends.  This 
was  the  way  he  arranged  for  his  visit: 

"  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  Jan  20,  '96. 
"  My  DEAR  Prof.  : 

"I  am  going  to  do  a  nervy  thing ;  invite 
myself  to  visit  you  for  a  few  days.  I  have  had 
Diphtheria  followed  up  by  LaGrippe  and  the  Doctor 
will  not  allow  me  to  do  much  work,  but  has  con- 
sented to  a  short  trip  in  Feb.  I  want  to  be  a  silent 
142 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

member  of  your  Training  Class  some  Sunday  early  in 
that  month,  if  you  will  allow  me.  Would  it  suit  you 
to  have  me  with  you  from  a  Friday  P.  m.  to  Monday  a, 
M.  either  Jan.  31-Feb.  3,  or  Feb.  7-10?  If  so  which 
Sunday  would  suit  you  the  better?  I  do  not  wantto 
have  any  work,  just  a  visit  with  you  and  the  in- 
struction in  your  Training  Class.  Just  between  us,  I 
have  been  asked  to  take  the  Training  Class  at  the 
Pacific  Slope  School  in  May,  and  am  looking  for  sug- 
gestions. The  Training  Class  at  Northfield  did  not 
suit  me  fully,  so  I  go  to  West  Chester.  Can  you  let 
me  hear  from  you  at  an  early  date  so  that  I  can  ar- 
range trip  to  suit.  Tell  me  frankly  if  date  or  visit 
does  not  suit  you,  and  I'll  appreciate  it  all  the  more. 

"  God  bless  you  and  your  work. 

"  Cordially  yours, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver. 

"  Prof.  F.  H.  Green, 

"West  Chester,  Pa." 

Among  the  letters  written  this  month  is  one 
which  shows  the  practical  interest  he  took  in  the 
men  he  met  and  his  rare  fidelity  to  the  claims  of 
the  best  friendship,  as  well  as  his  comradely  way 
of  helping  men.  It  was  written  to  a  student  at 
Lafayette  College: 

"As  to  an  Evangelist,  I  cannot  think  of  any  one 
that  I  could  be  sure  of  filling  the  bill.  I'll  talk  it 
over  with  Mr.  Bard,  and  let  you  know  if  he  has  any 
one  in  mind.  There  seems  to  be  a  great  lack  of  men 
fitted  to  do  work  of  that  kind,  especially  with  college 
students.  We'll  have  to  pray  the  Lord  of  the  Llarvest 
to  send  forth  laborers,  and  tliat  very  soon.  God  will 
143 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

surely  bless  the  effort  you  are  making  and  wonder- 
fully develop  the  workers  for  the  field  if  we  will  allow 
liim  the  right  of  way.  I  expect  to  go  up  to  State 
College  this  week  and  will  ask  them  to  keep  your  re- 
quest in  mind.  I  think  your  plans  excellent,  and 
will  be  much  in  prayer  that  leaders,  workers,  and 
those  worked  for  may  be  led  by  Him. 

"One  thing  before  I  close,  of  a  personal  nature.  I 
have  put  myself  in  your  place  and  decided  I  would 
want  you  to  speak  to  me  in  the  same  way.  During 
my  visits  I  heard  of  you  from  several  and  of  the  work 
you  were  doing,  with  one  criticism:  'The  only 
trouble  is,  he  is  inclined  to  talk  too  fast.'  I  know 
we  all  have  our  personal  traits,  some  that  strike  others 
as  peculiar.  From  what  I  have  heard,  that  must  be 
yours.  I  speak  frankly  because  I  want  you  to  treat 
me  the  same  way,  and  because  it  is  easier  overcome 
early  in  life.  I'll  appreciate  anything  you  can  tell 
me  in  regard  to  my  own  speaking  that  you  have 
noticed  as  peculiar.  I  intended  to  speak  to  you  while 
I  was  at  Easton,  but  my  illness  compelled  me  to  leave 
sooner  than  I  expected.  I  was  so  sick  during  the 
night  that  I  left  for  home  on  the  early  train  in  the 
morning.  Feared  I  never  could  reach  there  I  was  so 
ill.  Diphtheria  had  fully  developed  by  Thursday 
morning,  but  after  a  long  and  painful  sickness  I  am 
about  once  more ;  though  not  able  to  do  much  work, 
I  can  pray  for  you.  Trust  you  will  pardon  me  for 
speaking  so  frankly,  and  let  me  hear  from  you  again. 
"  I  remain, 

"  Yours  in  His  service, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

On  his  way  to  West  Chester  he  stopped  at 
Harrisburg  and  went  over  the  governor's  house 

114 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

where  the  family  had  lived  for  four  years  and  the 
next  day  wrote  to  his  mother,  "  Everything  in 
the  house  has  been  changed  and  it  simply  looks 
out  of  sight  now.  It  must  have  taken  a  pile  of 
money  to  do  it  though.  To  me  it  is  a  wonder- 
ful improvement." 

The  doctor  had  warned  Hugh  that  he  "  must 
go  slow,"  but  that  advice  is  easy  to  give  and  hard 
to  take  and  Hugh  was  at  his  work  again  in  Feb- 
ruary as  intensely  as  ever.  One  week  was  spent 
in  Philadelphia  at  the  University,  the  College  of 
Pharmacy,  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  and  the 
Medico-Chirurgical  and  Haverford  College.  "In 
the  medical  colleges,"  he  reported,  "work  is 
becoming  well  founded.  Christian  men  lifeless 
to  great  extent.  Haverford  is  manifesting  great 
interest.  From  fifteen  to  twenty  men  indicate  a 
desire  to  lead  Christian  lives.  Christian  workers 
wide  awake."  Toward  the  close  of  the  month 
on  his  way  to  Towanda  Hugh  was  taken  sick 
and  went  home  again.  This  disconcerted  him 
quite  a  little.  "  That  last  flunk-out  of  mine,"  he 
wrote  a  few  days  later,  "rather  discourages  a 
fellow.  Cold  weather  does  not  seem  to  agree 
with  one  in  my  present  condition,  but  we'll  hope 
for  the  best." 

On  February  20th  the  new  fraternity  house,  at 
State  College,  of  Hugh's  fraternity.  Beta  Theta 
Pi,  was  destroyed  by  fire.      Hugh   had   main- 

145 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

tained  the  warmest  interest  in  the  society,  and 
was  kept  informed  about  all  its  affairs  even  to 
the  admission  of  new  freshmen.  He  heard  at 
once  of  the  loss.  The  answer  he  made  and  the 
spirit  which  marked  him  in  this  enterprise  and  in 
all  his  work  among  students  are  set  forth  in 
some  notes  kindly  furnished  by  H.  Walton 
Mitchell,  Esq.,  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  who 
was  a  graduate  of  State  College  and  president  of 
the  Alpha  Upsilon  Chapter  of  the  fraternity: 

"When  the  fire  swept  away  the  new  fraternity 
house  in  a  few  months  after  it  liad  been  occupied  no 
disconsolate  cry  went  up  from  him.  His  first  mes- 
sage was,  'We  must  prepare  to  rebuild  at  once,'  and 
it  was  done.  He  immediately  took  hold  of  the  re- 
building, and  we  have  now  a  house  better  tlian  the 
one  destroyed.  Hugh  lived  long  enough  to  see  the 
work  finished  and  the  Chapter  at  home  once  more. 
As  the  boys  annually  return  to  enjoy  tlie  pleasantries 
of  college  life  for  a  season,  and  renew  tlie  happy  as- 
sociations of  Chapter  days,  there  will  be  missing  the 
hearty  welcome  from  one  of  the  joUiest  boys.  The 
name  of  Hugh  Beaver  is  inseparably  associated  with 
the  Alpha  Upsilon  house,  and  it  stands  as  a  monu- 
ment to  him. 

"  Hugh  came  face  to  face  with  a  serious  problem 
ere  he  was  graduated  from  college.  In  his  senior 
year  an  invitation  came  to  him  to  enter  the  college 
work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  this  state.  He  had,  I 
think,  planned  for  himself  a  business  career.  He 
had  had  some  experience  in  this  line  and  showed 
unusual  ability.  His  friends  were  sure  a  successful 
146 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

business  life  lay  before  him.  After  weeks  of  thought 
and  prayer  he  cast  aside  the  prospect  of  wealth  and 
preferment  and  took  up  the  work  in  which  he  was 
engaged  to  the  last.  A  great  conflict  preceded  the  de- 
cision. Tliere  was  no  regret  ever  felt  by  him.  On 
the  contrary  he  was  always  happy.  He  was  sure  he 
was  right.  In  whatever  he  was  actively  associated  he 
believed  in  it  heartily,  and  his  enthusiasm  was  always 
contagious.  In  his  opinion  there  was  no  place  like 
Bellefonte,  his  home  town.  Pennsylvania  State  Col- 
lege could  do  as  much  for  a  young  man  as  any  other 
institution,  and  much  more  than  the  majority  of  col- 
leges. A  victory  by  one  of  his  own  college  teams  was 
more  of  an  event  than  the  contest  between  the  teams 
of  two  of  the  foremost  universities.  In  his  fraternity 
was  the  inspiration  to  loftiest  motives  and  highest 
ideals.  It  was  this  pride  and  enthusiasm  that  carried 
things,  and  that  commended  his  religious  work  to 
men.  His  conduct  seemed  to  say.  It  is  the  best 
thing  in  the  world  and  you  ought  to  have  it. 

"He  had  been  instrumental  in  consummating  a 
business  arrangement  which  had  been  the  subject  of 
a  great  deal  of  thought  to  him  and  his  associates  in 
the  project.  In  a  five  page  letter  he  interjected  an 
exclamation  here  and  there  calculated  to  stir  up  the 
most  doubtful.  The  opening  sentence  was,  '  Things 
seem  to  be  falling  our  way,'  and  the  letter  concluded 
with,  '  Hurrah  for  us.' 

"  There  need  be  little  said  of  his  faith.  That  was 
abundant.  Concerning  a  series  of  meetings  he  con- 
ducted among  students  of  medicine,  he  wrote,  '  Med- 
ical students  are  a  hard  lot  but  the  power  of  God  can 
reach  them  as  well  as  others.' 

"  A  friend  pointed  out  to  him  the  splendid  oppor- 
tunity for  success  before  him  if  he  would  read  law  and 
147 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

take  up  his  father's  work,  or  if  not  tliat,  his  business 
qualifii  ations  would  insure  him  large  financial  re- 
turns. Hugh  was  then  in  his  second  year  of  Y.  M. 
.C.  A.  work.  His  answer  came  quickly  as  he  said, 
'  Old  man,  I  am  not  laying  up  my  treasure  here.' 

"He  was  affectionate  to  more  than  the  usual  de- 
gree. During  one  of  the  college  commencement  cel- 
ebrations a  crowd  of  young  men  were  indulging  in 
drink  late  in  the  night.  Among  them  was  one  who 
had  grown  up  with  Hugh  and  a  schoolmate  from 
early  years.  Hugh  heard  of  the  spree,  hunted  the 
boy  up  and  followed  him  around  endeavoring  to  in- 
duce him  to  go  to  his  room.  He  had  been  indulging 
sufficiently  to  make  him  obstinate,  and  Hugh  was 
rebuffed  and  his  principles  slurred.  However  he 
clung  to  the  boy  and  after  a  long  siege  well  on  to 
morning,  succeeded  in  getting  him  to  his  room  and 
to  bed.  I  believe  this  same  young  man  later  united 
with  the  church. 

"The  popularity  of  Hugh  Beaver  was  not  confined 
to  those  interested  in  religious  work.  In  college  he 
was  a  leader  in  promoting  athletics.  In  social  affairs 
he  was  a  favorite.  His  manliness  won  for  him  the 
esteem  of  all  who  knew  him." 

In  rebuilding  the  fraternity  house  Hugh  showed 
even  more  remarkable  business  ability  than  he 
had  revealed  before.  He  was  carrying  on,  of 
course,  his  work  among  the  students  of  the  state 
without  interruption,  but  at  the  same  time  he 
handled  the  contracts,  and  all  the  loans  and 
mortgages  connected  with  the  building  enter- 
prise. The  house  cost  about  $13,200  and  a  great 
148 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

deal  of  shrewdness  was  required  to  provide  this 
with  the  scanty  credits  at  the  disposal  of  the 
chapter.  One  of  Hugh's  triumphs  in  connection 
with  this  movement  was  the  way  he  secured  a 
loan  from  a  National  Bank  in  the  western  part  of 
the  state.  This  exploit  called  out  from  one  of 
his  friends  the  expressive  message,  in  broad  col- 
lege slang,  "as  a  politician  and  nether  limb  ma- 
nipulator, you  are  a  screaming  success." 

At  the  beginning  of  March  Hugh  wrote,  "The 
doctor  does  not  want  me  to  work  this  month,  at 
least  until  it  warms  up."  Accordingly  he  made 
fewer  visits  to  colleges,  but  he  used  a  good  deal 
of  strength  in  an  effort  once  again  to  clear  off  the 
debt  on  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in 
the  town  of  Bellefonte.  "1  am  doing  my  best 
in  the  home  association,"  he  wrote.  "  We  must 
get  $1,400  at  least  by  subscription  to  put  things 
in  shape  and  run  to  October  ist.  1  have  $1,000 
to  raise  yet.  It's  worse  than  the  travelling  work 
in  using  a  man  up,  but  1  believe  God  has  a  big 
blessing  for  me  in  it.  A  fellow  surely  is  inclined 
to  get  discouraged  but  the  '  Lo  I  am  with  you 
always!'  should  keep  him  all  O.  K.  .  .  .  Re- 
member to  pray  especially  just  now  for  work 
here.  It's  do  or  die  this  time.  May  God  open 
men's  hearts  and  purses."  On  the  Sunday  pre- 
ceding this  canvass  for  subscriptions  Hugh  has 
written  in  the  small  engagement  record  which  he 

149 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

kept  intermittently  henceforth,  the  three  Bible  ref- 
erences: "  1  Cor.  ii.  2;  Phil.  iv.  13;  2  Cor.  xii, 
9."  He  was  feeling  evidently  the  need  of  divine 
help.  Often  in  these  days  he  was  sensible  of 
great  weakness  and  the  consciousness  of  power 
would  be  succeeded  by  discouragement.  He 
was  coming  to,  but  he  had  not  found  yet  the 
secret  of  an  even  life,  undisturbed  by  the  titful- 
ness  of  mood  or  the  alternation  of  hope  and  de- 
spondency. This  writing  of  pertinent  Bible 
verses  on  days  of  special  feeling  or  thoughtful- 
ness  grew  into  a  habit  with  him.  On  February 
13th  the  reference  is  to  Jude  24,  25.  Occasion- 
ally in  his  diary  for  1896,  which  was  a  small, 
oblong  book  for  the  waistcoat  pocket,  he  made  a 
few  notes  of  catch  words  for  his  simple  talks. 
Thus  at  Bucknell  University  on  April  7,  "Your 
life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  Work.  North- 
field.  Studd.  Lowell,"  and  at  Lancaster  on 
April  nth,  "One  talent  men.  Responsibility 
placed  upon  Peter,  Feed  my  Sheep,"  and  on 
April  1 2th,  which  was  Sunday,  "James  ii.  14. 
Northfield.  Studd.  Attract.  Carlisle  Indian 
Training  Class,  Carlyle.  Chief  End  of  man. 
Lowell's  'open-doored  to  God.'  About  Father's 
business.     2  Tim.  iv.  6-8.     '\  have  fought.'" 

Much  of  his  correspondence  this  spring  was  in 
preparation  for  a  conference  at  Carlisle,  April 
16-19,  of  the  presidents  of  the  associations  in  the 

150 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

colleges  of  the  state.  Thirty  men  came  and  Hugh 
reported  that  it  was  "a  successful  conference, 
characterized  by  a  spirit  of  prayer  and  deeper 
and  more  full  consecration  on  the  part  of  all." 
The  object  of  this  conference  was  to  train  these 
men  for  better  work  in  their  own  institutions. 
Such  subjects  as  the  following  were  discussed: 
"  The  Association  Field  of  Pennsylvania."  "The 
Preparation  of  the  President."  "Place  and 
Power  of  Prayer."  "Duties  of  the  President." 
" Finances  and  Records."  "The  Students'  Move- 
ment." "Bible  Study."  "The  Missionary  De- 
partment." "The  Fall  Campaign."  "Personal 
Work."  "A  Spiritual  Awakening."  "Our  Pol- 
icy for  Next  Year."  Hugh  discussed  "The  Fall 
Campaign/'  meaning  thereby,  the  work  done 
at  the  opening  of  the  college  year  for  new  stu- 
dents.    This  was  his  outline: 

"  Fall  Campaign. 

"I.  Object.  I.  To  lead  the  new  students  who 
are  Christians  to  take  a  positive  stand  at  once  for 
Christ  and  to  join  in  the  work  of  the  association  for 
their  fellow  students.  2.  To  lead  tliose  who  are  not 
Christians  to  become  followers  of  Christ.  3.  To  set 
right  standard  of  Christian  life  and  service  for  entire 
student  body. 

"II.     Importance,      i.     To  the  new  student,  (i) 

He  is  unattached.   (2)  He  is  looking  for  fellowship. 

(3)  He  is  in  danger.     Why?  (a)  Because  he  is  free 

from  home  influences.   (/>)  Open  to  fust  impressions, 

151 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

good  or  bad.  (c)  Satan  is  most  active  at  this  time. 
(d)  Because  he  is  in  danger  of  failing  to  seek  first 
the  Knigdom  of  God.  2.  To  the  Association,  (i) 
Tlie  large  number  of  new  students. — One  third  of  the 
student  body.  (2)  Their  power  to  influence  perma- 
nently every  phase  of  college  life.  (3)  If  not  won  now 
the  new  student  is  generally  lost.  Only  one  in  four 
is  reached  after  the  first  month. 

"III.  Preparation.  i.  Master  the  pamphlet 
provided  on  this  subject.  2.  Study  field,  workers, 
new  students.  3.  Get  as  many  men  as  possible  to 
pray  during  vacation.  4.  Get  as  many  men  as  pos- 
sible to  promise  to  come  back  early. 

"IV.  What  to  do  before  men  reach  college,  i. 
Prepare  to  send  out  hand-book.  2.  Correspond 
with  pastors,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries,  &c.,  in  towns 
which  are  prominent  feeders  of  your  institution. 

"V.  What  to  do  for  men  after  they  reach  college. 
I.  Meet  men  at  trains.  2.  Student  headquarters. 
3.  Religious  census.  4.  Social  reception  before 
the  first  religious  meeting.  5.  Special  organized 
effort  to  lead  men  to  accept  and  confess  Christ 
openly.  6.  Decision  meeting,  preceded  and  fol- 
lowed by  personal  work.  Follow  up.  Enlist  men  in 
Bible  study  classes.  Give  them  work  to  do.  Place 
one  new  man  on  each  committee." 

His  notebook  suggests  that  his  policy  for  the 
coming  year  was:  "(i)  To  pray,  plan  and  per- 
severe to  lead  more  men  to  Jesus  Christ.  (2)  To 
enlist  definite  men  in  personal  work."  The  day 
following  the  close  of  the  conference  he  entered 
in  his  diary  "  Phil.  iii.  13,  14." 

As  he  went  from  college  to  college  his  corivic- 

152 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

tions  of  the  need  of  moral  cleansing  of  life 
among  students  and  his  abhorrence  of  impurity 
increased.  To  be  better  able  to  speak  clearly  and 
directly  and  to  get  new  thoughts  with  which  to 
influence  others  Hugh  wrote  to  the  American 
Purity  Alliance  for  the  papers  and  addresses  of 
the  National  Purity  Congress.  His  diary  shows 
more  talks  on  Personal  Purity  than  on  almost  any 
other  subject  except  the  opening  of  life  to  God. 
In  the  midst  of  such  work,  however,  most  prac- 
tical ideas  came  to  him.     He  writes  on  May  i : 

"  My  dear  little  Mother  : 

"...  I  had  a  dream  night  before  last  that 
the  barn  on  the  farm  had  burned  down  and  we  dis- 
covered that  the  insurance  had  run  out.  It  may  have 
and  should  be  looked  after  as  should  also  the  policy 
on  the  furniture  at  home.  .  .  .  Have  succeeded  in 
knocking  another  dollar  per  thousand  off  the  Wil- 
liamsport  brick  for  the  Chapter  House." 

Hugh  bought  a  copy  of  Andrew  Murray's  little 
book  on  Humility  this  spring.  It  bears  the  date 
of  April  15th,  1896.  He  marked  carefully  a  num- 
ber of  passages,  underhning  them.  Among  them 
were  such  as  these: 

"The  chief  care  of  the  creature  is  to  present  itself  an 
empty  vessel  in  which  God  can  dwell  and  manifest 
His  power  and  goodness.  .  .  .  Humility,  the  place 
of  entire  dependence  on  God.  .  .  .  Without  this 
there  can  be  no  true  abiding  in  God's  presence  or 
153 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Lite 

experience  of  His  favor,  and  the  power  of  His  Spirit; 
withont  this  no  abiding  faith  or  love  or  pity  or 
strength.  ...  It  is  simply  the  sense  of  entire  noth- 
ingness wliich  comes  when  we  see  how  truly  God  is 
all  and  in  which  we  make  way  for  God  to  be  all.  .  .  . 
Every  child  of  God  is  to  be  the  witness  .  .  .  that  it 
is  nothing  but  a  vessel,  a  channel  through  which  the 
living  God  can  manifest  the  riches  of  His  wisdom, 
power  and  goodness.  The  root  of  all  virtue  and 
grace,  of  all  faith  and  acceptable  worship  is  that  we 
know  that  we  have  nothing  but  what  we  receive  and 
bow  in  deepest  humility  to  wait  upon  God  for  it. 
.  .  .  His  service  is  the  highest  liberty,— the  liberty 
from  sin  and  self." 


Hugh  received  an  invitation  this  year  to  teach 
a  Bible  class  at  the  Summer  Bible  Conference  of 
students  from  colleges  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
which  was  to  be  held  at  Cazadero,  California, 
during  the  last  ten  days  of  May.  He  accepted 
this  invitation  although  he  wrote,  "Personally! 
regret  that  you  have  not  secured  one  better  fitted 
to  teach  the  class  as  my  experience  has  been 
small.  None  at  all  as  a  teacher."  Still  he  felt,  as 
he  said,  that  "  the  great  need  in  all  Christian  work 
is  for  men  able  to  do  personal  work  and  to  do  it 
they  must  be  Bible  students,"  and  he  was  ready 
to  do  what  he  could.  He  left  Bellefonte  on  May 
13th.  On  May  17th  his  diary  records  "  New  Or- 
leans.    Col.  i.  1-3.     Help  me.  Father." 

At  Cazadero  Hugh  began  his  class  with  the 

15i 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

purpose  of  inciting  the  students  to  personal  work 
for  their  fellows,  intending  at  the  close  to  turn 
from  this  line  of  thought  to  deepen  if  possible 
the  spiritual  lives  of  the  men  by  some  devotional 
Bible  study.  He  asked  each  member  of  his  class 
to  answer  in  writing  two  questions,  Have  you 
ever  been  a  member  of  a  Workers'  Training  Class 
before  ?  Can  you  describe  some  particular  man 
whom  you  have  tried  to  bring  to  Christ,  and  his 
difficukies  ?  Almost  none  of  the  students  an- 
swered the  first  question  in  the  affirmative  and 
some  of  their  replies  to  the  second  show  the 
problems  Hugh  had  to  deal  with: 

"A  logical  minded  man,  good  in  mathematics, 
etc.,  says  he  doesn't  understand  it.  Guesses  he'll 
wait  and  see.  He  is  a  good-hearted  man  and  if  he 
were  really  convinced,  that  is  all  that  would  be  neces- 
sary." 

"Bright  man — has  been  an  earnest  worker  in  a 
very  stimulating  atmosphere.  Has  let  go  most  of  the 
things  he  has  believed — says  there's  too  much  super- 
stition among  Christians,  in  the  Church,  in  Y.  M.  C. 
A.  work.  Stumbles  over  miracles,  inspiration,  Christ 
as  the  Son  of  God,  the  power  of  prayer,  etc." 

"A  very  worldly  boy.  I  prayed  for  him  and 
showed  him  the  way  to  Christ.  He  was  convicted, 
promised  me  he  would  come  to  Christ.  He  went  to 
prayer  meeting  one  night  with  the  intention  of  giving 
up,  but  after  getting  there  made  his  excuse,  *  not  yet.' 
He  drifted  away  and  is  now  even  worse  than  ever  be- 
fore in  his  life." 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"  A  fellow  was  persuaded  of  the  duty  of  accepting 
Christ,  but  did  not  want  to  give  up  his  enjoyment  of 
life  and  ciid  not  understand  how  the  Christian  life  had 
any  corresponding  enjoyments." 

"I  have  spoken  to  no  man,  except  in  a  general 
way,  of  his  belief  in  Christianity." 

The  written  notes  which  Hugh  prepared  for 
this  class  were  very  scriptural  and  plain.  The 
illustrations  he  supplied  out  of  the  life  that  he  had 
lived  and  that  the  members  of  his  class  well  un- 
derstood: 

"  First  Lesson.     Importance  of  Persofial  Work  as 

seen  in  the  Bible. 
I.     Weigh  carefully  Christ's  last  commands. 
Matt,   xxviii.  19,  20.     Mark  xvi.  15.     Luke  xxiv. 

46-49.     John  xxi.  15-18.     Acts  i.  8. 
(i)     Methods. 

{a)  Preaching.  Mark  xvi.  15.  Orig.  Going 
into  all  the  world  preach  the  Gospel.  Wherever  you 
go,  for  whatever  purpose,  preach  the  g.  n.,  proclaim 
the  good  news. 

(/')  Witnessing.  Luke  xxiv.  48.  Ye  are 
witnesses.     Personal  testimony. 

(c)  Teaching.  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20.  As  hav- 
ing known  the  Great  Teacher.  Teacliing  them  {all 
nations)  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  com- 
manded jv?/.     Teach  by  life  and  word. 

{d)  Tending  and  feeding.  John  xxi.  Simon. 
My  sheep  are  scattered.  Gather  them  together, 
tending  and  feeding  them. 

(2)  Given  to?  Not  to  the  Eleven  only.  Luke 
xxiv.  T,;^,  48.     Followers. 

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Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

(3)     What  promises  in  connection  with  work  to 
workers  ? 

Lo  I  am  with  you  alway. 

Ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Ye  shall  receive  power.     When  ? 

Where  was  work  to  begin ?    Luke  xxiv.  47.    Ours? 
Luke  viii.  39. 
IL     Teachings  of  Christ  in  which  Personal  Work 

IS    IMPLIED. 

Matt.  iv.  19.     Fishers  of  men.     Luke  v.  10. 
Matt.   X.     Twelve  instructed,     x.    7.     As  ye  go, 

preach. 
Matt.  X.  II.     Search  out  who  is  worthy  and  there 

abide. 
Matt.  X.  42.     Unto  one  of  these  little  ones. 
Matt,  xviii.  12.     Seek  the  lost  sheep. 
Matt,  xviii.  15.     Show  thy  brother  his  fault,  him 

and  thee  alone. 
Luke  x.  37.     Good  Samaritan.     Go  thou  and  do 

likewise. 
Luke  xiv.  23.     Go  out  into  h.  and  h.  and  constrain 

them  to  come  in. 
Luke    xxii.    32.     When    thou    hast   turned   again 

stablish  thy  brethren. 
John  xxi.  15.     Feed  my  lambs. 
in.     Example  of  Christ. — John's  Gospel, 
i.  35-40.     Andrew, 
i.  40-42.     Andrew  and  Peter, 
i.  43.     Philip. 

i.  45-51.     Philip   findeth  Nathanael.     Conver- 
sation with  Christ. 
iii.   1-15.     Nicodemus.     Ruler,  a  teacher.     Ad- 
mits Christ's  authority  but  stumbles  at  His 
teaching. 
iv.  1-42.     Woman  of  Samaria.     Alien  race.     Bad 
157 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

reputation.     Sinner  convicted.     First  dec- 
laration of  Messialiship. 
iv.  46-54.     Nobleman.    Takes  Clirist  at  His  word. 
V.  1-18.     Infirm    man   of   Bethesda.     Wouldest 
thou  be  made  whole?     Looks  him  up  later 
to  follow  up  with  warning.     Sin  no  more, 
vi.  22-71.     With  men  seeking  loaves  and  fishes, 
vii.  i-io.     With  His  brothers,  a  bounty  confer- 
ence, 
viii.  i-ii.     Woman  taken  in  adultery.     Tact.     Sin 
no  more. 
ix.     Man  blind  from  birth.     Findeth  him  again. 
Follows  up  work  of  restoring  physical  sight 
by  giving  spiritual  sight. 
xi.  10-27.     Martha  after  death  of  Lazarus. 
XX.  14-17.     Mary  Magdalene, 
XX.  26-29.     Thomas. 
xxi,  15,  23.     Peter. 
IV,     Practice  of  Early  Christians. 

John  i.  40.     Andrew  first  findeth  his  own  brother. 

John  i.  45.     Philip  findeth  Nathanael. 

Acts  viii.  26.     Philip  and  Eunuch. 

Acts  viii,  35,      Preached    unto    him.      Preached. 

P.  W. 
Acts  X.     Peter  and  Cornelius. 
"  Second  Lesson.     Incentives. 

I.  Seek  the  incentives  that  moved  Christ  to  work 
for  the  salvation  of  men  as  we  find  them  in 
John's  Gospel,  iv.  17,  34,  35;  v.  17;  vi, 
35-40;  vii.  16-18;  viii.  28,  29,  38,  42,  49, 
50,  55  ;  ix.  4;  X.  ID,  14-18  ;  xi,  4;  xii.  44- 
50  ;  xiii.  T,  34 ;  xiv,  2,  13,  16,  29,  31 ;  xv.  8. 
His  mission  divine.  '  He  that  sent  me '  six- 
teen places.  Teaching  not  His  own.  Works, 
His  that  sent  me. 
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Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

2.     Incentives  to  us. 

(i)     John  XX.  21.     Even  so  send  I  j(?«.     i  John 
ii.  17  ;   iii.  22  ;  v.  16. 

(2)  Constraining  love  of  Christ.     2   Cor.  v, 

11-21. 

(3)  Muhiply  our  lives.     Peter. 

(4)  James  v.  20. 

(5)  2  Cor.  v.  20,  21  ;  vi.  I ;  ambassadors  for 

Christ. 

Key  2  Cor.  v.  20. 
"  Third  Lesson.      Qualifications. 

1 .  Knowledge  that  Christ  saves  and  keeps,    i  John 

i.  ;  iii.  24 :  Peter. 
I  Peter  i.  3f. ;  ii.  24 :  Paul.      Rom.  i.      2 
Tim.  i.  12. 

2.  2  Tim.  i.  13,  14;  ii.  2,  15;  iii.  i4-i7- 

3.  Acts  i.  4.  5'  8;    ii.  4;   iv.  8;  vi.  3,  5,   10. 

Condition.     Acts  iv.  31;  v.  32. 
Result.     Boldness.     Acts  iv.  31,  19,  20;  v. 
29.     Unity.     Acts  iv.  24,  32  ;  ii.  46. 
Power.     Acts  vi.  8. 

4.  I  Cor.  ix.  22.     Malt.  iv.  19.     John  vi.  26. 

5.  John  XV.  7. 

6.  John  xiv.  26.     Teach.    Bring.    Remembrance. 

John  xvi.  7. 
**  Fourth  Lesson.     Hindrances. 

1.  Natural  diffidence.     From  what  cause  ?     Cure 
(i)     Slowness  of  speech.     Ex.  iv.  10.     Cause 

Cure.     Ex.  iv.  11,  12. 
Ex.  and  cure.  Jer.  i.  6-9.  Cure.  Isa.  1.  4 
(2)     Timidity.     2  Tim.  i,  6-8  ;   i  Cor.  ii.  1-5 
Ridicule.     Jer.  xx.  7-9. 

2.  Self-conceit.     Luke  xviii.  9-13  ;  Job  xii.  1-3 

Cure.     I  Cor.  x.  12  ;  Phil.  iii.  13,  14;  Rom 
xi.  20-23. 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

3.  Love  of  ease.     James  i v.  17;  John  xiii.  17. 

4.  Inconsistent  life.    Effect  on  companions.    Tree 

known  by  its  fruits.  Matt.  vii.  15.  On 
man  himself.  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the 
heart  his  mouth  speaketh.  Luke  vi.  45. 
Blind  guide  the  blind.  Luke  vi.  39  ;  i  John 
ii.  I,  2  ;  Psalm  li.  7-13. 

5.  Beholding   not   the  beam   in   thine  own  eye. 

^Vhat  effect  on  companions?  On  man  him- 
self? How  obey.  Luke  xi.  35.  Self-ex- 
amination.    Psalm  cxxxix.  23,  24. 

6.  False   courtesy.     Ezek.    iii.    17-21;    i    Kings 

XX.  39. 

7.  Lack  of  experience.     Matt.  iv.  19. 

8.  Ignorance  of  the   Bible,      i   Tim.  iv.  12-16; 

Acts  xvii.  II. 

9.  Failure  to  recognize  opportunities.     John  iv. 

34-36. 

10.  Satan's  active  interference,      i  Thess.  ii.  18  ; 

2  Cor.  ii.  II." 

No  other  lesson  outlines  are  preserved,  although 
there  seems  to  have  been  one  on  "Simon  Peter" 
with  the  references  "  Luke  v.  4-1 1 ;  Matt.  xiv.  28- 
31 ;  John  vi.  66-69;  Matt.  xvi.  16;  Mark  ix.  s;  John 
xiii.  6-1 1 ;  Luke  xxii.  31,  57,  61,  62;  Mark  xvi. 
7;  Luke  xxiv.  34;  John  xxi.  15,"  and  another  on 

"  Christ  as  a  Man  of  Prayer." 

"I.  His  habits.  Mark  i.  35  ;  Luke  iv.  42  ;  v.  16; 
Mark  i.  45;  Luke  vi.  12;  ix.  28;  Matt, 
xiv.  23;  Mark  vi.  46;  Luke  xxii.  32; 
Matt.  xxvi.  36. 

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Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

2.  His  prayers.     Matt.  vi.  9  ;  Luke  x.  21  ;  John 

xvii. ;  John  xi.  41 ;  Matt.  xxvi.  36-45  ;  Luke 
xxiii.  34,  46. 

3.  Now.     Rom.  viii.  34;  Heb.  vii.  25  ;  ix.  24." 

To  two  difficulties  presented  Hugh  made  these 
answers:  "'Too  much  to  give  up.'  Mark  viii. 
35-37;  Matt.  vi.  }y,  i  John  ii,  15-17;  Rom.  viii. 
32;  Heb.  xi.  24-26.  'Can't  hold  out.'  /  Cor. 
X.  ij;  2  Cor,  xii.  9;  Jude  24,  25;  Isa.  xli.  10,  13; 
Phil.  iv.  13." 

Hugh  greatly  enjoyed  this  Cazadero  conference. 

"Sunday,  May  24,  1896. 
' '  My  dearest  Mother  : 

"Just  now  I  am  up  on  one  of  the  beautiful  hills 
that  overlook  the  valley  in  which  our  hotel  is  situated, 
having  come  up  here  for  a  quiet  time  in  Bible  study 
and  prayer.  Our  day  has  been  one  in  which  prayer 
has  had  a  very  large  place.  Every  session  has  been 
along  that  line  and  the  afternoon  we  have  for  the 
most  part  come  out  to  be  alone  with  the  INIaster.  The 
conference  has  already  proved  to  be  a  great  blessing 
to  all  of  us,  and  it  is  with  great  expectation  that  we 
await  each  day.  .  .  .  It  is  a  most  beautiful  place  here 
and  we  are  delightfully  fixed  in  every  way.  I  am  in 
splendid  shape  and  am  enjoying  my  work  very  much. 
Reporters  are  the  greatest  bane  of  my  life.  Already 
two  of  the  Frisco  papers  have  asked  fur  my  picture 
but  I  had  none  for  them.  I  must  close  now  and 
study.  My  own  dear  Father  keep  you  all.  A  great 
deal  of  love  to  father  with  all  you  can  take  for  your- 
self. "Lovingly, 

"  Hugh." 
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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"  June  2,  1896. 
"I  am  very  well  and  happy  after  a  most  enjoyable 
and   blessed   time   at    Cazadero.     The    fellows  were 
wonderfully  blessed  as  were  the  speakers  also.     This 
pen  is  rank,  so  I'll  close." 

Hugh  came  back  from  his  western  trip  much 
impressed  with  the  open  degradation  of  fallen 
women  in  some  of  the  western  cities.  On  the 
trip  east  he  had  a  berth  in  the  sleeping  car  near  a 
man  who  was  very  ill  with  consumption.  He 
talked  to  him  several  times  and  one  day  when  the 
invalid  was  suffering  very  much  Hugh  sat  alone 
for  a  long  time  praying  that  he  might  be  relieved. 
That  evening  as  Hugh  was  praying  for  the  Y. 
M.  C.  A.  meeting  at  home  and  for  the  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  Society,  as  was  his  custom,  the 
invalid's  attendant  came  to  him  and  told  him  that 
the  sufferer  had  just  died. 

In  the  latter  part  of  June  Hugh  went  to  North- 
field  again.  His  notes  were  very  scanty  but  he 
did  more  for  others,  and  he  especially  spent  him- 
self in  trying  to  have  the  delegates  from  Pennsyl- 
vania get  as  much  good  as  possible  to  carry  back 
to  their  institutions  in  the  fall.  His  own  report 
says  succinctly.  "  Aided  in  organization  of  Penn- 
sylvania delegations.  In  charge  of  whole  dele- 
gation of  112  men  representing  twenty-eight  in- 
stitutions. Met  leaders  of  delegations  for  con- 
ference   on    work.     Visited  these  delegations. 

162 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

Conducted  four  college  conferences.  Personal 
interviews."  A  friend  who  watched  the  whole 
of  Hugh's  spiritual  development  writes: 

"  He  was  still  characterized  at  times  by  a  feeling  of 
changeableness  and  discouragement.  But  he  took  much 
more  active  part  in  the  services,  and  seemed  to  have 
lost  his  fear  and  to  be  much  more  strongly  impressed 
than  the  previous  year.  One  phrase  I  recall  which  he 
so  often  repeated,  '  How  and  why  does  the  Master 
use  such  an  unworthy  and  sinful  child  as  I?  '  Tears 
often  came  to  his  eyes  and  he  would  turn  his  eyes  to 
Heaven  and  ask  forgiveness  and  implore  the  Lord  to 
help  him  as  he  sat  with  me  in  the  woods  in  the  after- 
noon, and  he  would  tell  me  how  deplorably  he  failed 
in  leading  a  Christlike  life. 

"  He  returned  home  very  enthusiastic  about  the 
meetings.  Seemed  filled  with  the  desire  to  start  a 
series  of  summer  meetings  in  '  old  Pennsylvania '  on 
the  plan  of  Northfield,  where  those  who  could  not  go 
to  the  latter  might  have  a  similar  opportunity.  He 
often  referred  to  this  thought  during  the  last  year  of 
his  life." 

On  Tuesday,  July  7,  the  day  he  left  Northfield, 
is  the  entry  in  his  diary,  "But  as  many  as  re- 
ceived Him  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become 
the  children  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on 
His  name.    John  i.  12;  i  John  iii.  3.     Pure." 

There  have  been  held  at  Shikelimy,  Blooms- 
burg  and  Eaglesmere  in  the  three  summers  since 
1896,  conferences  intended  to  meet  this  need 
which  Hugh  felt  so  keenly. 

163 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Each  summer  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  State  Militia,  has  an  encampment,  as 
is  the  custom  with  each  division  of  the  National 
Guard,  and  in  July,  1896,  fifteen  regiments  of 
infantry,  three  batteries  of  artillery  and  three 
companies  of  cavalry,  numbering  about  eight 
thousand  men,  were  encamped  at  Camp  John 
Gibbon  near  Lewistown.  It  was  an  exceptional 
opportunity  for  reaching  the  young  men  of  the 
state  and  Mr.  Fred  B.  Shipp  and  Hugh  Beaver 
were  put  in  charge  of  the  tents  provided  for  the 
use  of  the  soldiers  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  where  newspapers,  stationery, 
games  and  an  organ  and  song  books  were  sup- 
plied for  the  men.  Small  bills  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  soldiers  to  the  Association  tent: 

* '  Attention  ! 
These  privileges  are  provided  with  the  hope  that 
you  will  use  them.     Then  get 

Ready  !  ! 
and  decide  to  visit  the  tent ;  make  the  acquaintance 
of  the  men  in  charge,  who  will 
Aim  !  !  ! 
to  serve  you  in  every  way  possible.     So  when  you 
can  lay  aside  your 

Fire  !  !  !  ! 
-arms  for  a  brief  time,  make  yourself  at  home  in  the  As- 
sociation tent. 

We  Will  Expect  You  !  " 

Hugh's  letters  give  an  interesting  insight  into 
164 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

this  work;  which  is  prefaced  by  an  entry  in  his 
small  diary  for  July  17,  "By  my  Father's  help." 

"  Lewistown,  Pa.,  Saturday,  July  18,  1896. 
"  My  dearest  Mother  : 

"  Here  it  goes  for  the  first  letter  written  in 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  tent.  My  hands  are  very  dirty  from 
unpacking  paper,  etc.,  as  the  condition  of  this  will 
bear  me  out.  I  guess  I  had  better  make  haste  in  my 
writing  for  I  fear  we'll  be  rather  busy  and  my  time  is 
not  my  own." 

TO  A  friend: 

"  Lewistown,  Pa.,  Sunday,  July  19,  1896. 
"  Shipp  has  had  to  go  home  for  Sunday  and 
I'm  holding  forth  alone  just  at  present.  Our  day  has 
not  been  one  of  rest  by  any  means,  held  two  services 
in  the  tent,  the  first  at  ten  o'clock  and  another  at 
eleven.  Tent  was  crowded  and  about  200 
men  on  the  outside.  I'm  staying  over  in  the  town, 
with  a  two-mile  walk,  between  me  and  bed  at  the 
close  of  the  night's  work,  so  this  boy  is  generally 
weary  by  the  time  he  reaches  his  home.  The  men 
come  up  every  now  and  then  to  talk  with  me.  Be 
much  in  prayer  for  our  little  work  here  ;  the  men 
seem  to  appreciate  so  much  the  little  things  we  do 
for  them.  May  God  help  us  to  help  them  for  more 
than  these  little  kindnesses  that  so  soon  fade  from 
memory." 

to  the  same  friend: 

"July  2ist,  1896. 
"  My  time  has  been  very  freely  occupied.   Mr.  Shipp 
has  not  been  able  to  return  on  account  of  sickness, 
165 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

so  I  have  had  my  hands  full.  I  am  located  over 
in  town  with  an  old  Beta;  being  entertained  at  his 
home  is  very  different  from  hunting  up  boarding- 
houses  and  meals.  Seems  as  though  Our  Father  was 
wonderfully  kind  to  me  in  these  little  things  as  well 
as  in  the  greater  ones.  I  have  had  to  speak  every 
evening  and  from  present  indications  will  have  to 
continue.  God  has  been  with  me  and  we  have  had 
large  crowds  in  spite  of  bad  weather.  Sunday  night 
I  was  very  much  moved  to  see  the  hard  old  cases 
touched  by  the  old,  old  story,  nothing  that  I  said  of 
myself,  simply  what  was  given  me  at  the  last  mo- 
ment, for  I  changed  the  subject  of  my  little  talk  as 
we  were  singing  the  hymn  just  before  I  was  to  speak. 
God  convicted  a  number  of  sin  and  though  I  gave  no 
invitation  that  could  be  accepted  and  indicated  to  us, 
men  came  up  after  the  meeting  to  talk  with  us.  Some 
to  arrange  to  have  a  talk  the  next  day,  &c.  I  pray 
that  many  of  these  dear  fellows  may  give  their  hearts 
to  Christ  during  the  encampment.  We  look  for  a 
great  blessing  this  eve  and  God  is  willing,  so  that 
if  we  fail  to  receive,  there  must  be  the  'asking  amiss' 
or  that  the  life  is  wrong.  You  know  I  am  very 
weak,  very  wicked,  and  I  am  sure  your  prayers  will 
be  answered  some  day.  Perhaps  I  am  not  going  to 
stay  very  long,  that  soon  '  I  shall  be  like  Him  for  I 
shall  see  Him  as  He  is,'  for  I  surely  have  not  been, 
here  below.  My  thoughts  and  life  have  both  been  kept 
pure  by  His  power  during  these  days  and  I  am  sure 
they  always  can  be  if  this  boy  would  stay  close  to  his 
Master's  side. 

"One  bit  of  news  without  comment  and  I  close. 

I  received   a  letter  from   Mr.  Moody  asking  me  to 

come  to   his  school  at  Mt.   Hermon  and  teach  the 

English  Bible.     Please  say  nothing   about  it  to  any 

166 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

one  EXCEPT  the  Lord.     Be  much  in  prtver  that  I 
may  be  guided." 

Hugh  wrote  on  the  same  day  to  his  mother  re- 
garding this  invitation  to  Mount  Hermon: 

"  I  suppose  Gilbert  has  said  something  to  you  of 
Mr.  Moody's  plan  for  me.  He  wants  me  to  come  to 
Mount  Hermon  to  teach  English  Bible.  Work  to  be- 
gin this  fall.  .  .  .  Please  say  7iothing  at  all  about 
it  outside  the  family.  Mr.  Moody  gave  me  a  very 
warm  talking  to  at  Northfield.  Wants  an  early 
favorable  reply.  Would  my  little  mother  want  her 
boy  that  far  away?     I'll  not  decide  until  I  return." 

Hugh  Beaver's  ability  to  adapt  himself  to  all 
conditions  of  life  and  all  kinds  of  men  was  never 
better  shown  than  in  the  way  he  won  the  hearts 
of  these  soldiers.  At  a  memorial  meeting  after 
his  death  at  the  State  Convention  of  the  As- 
sociations of  Pennsylvania,  two  delegates  bore 
these  testimonies  to  him: 

"  One  of  the  lessons  I  got  from  Hugh,"  said  one, 
"  was  at  the  Lewistown  National  Guard  Encampment. 
We  worked  together,  and  one  of  the  things  that  im- 
pressed me  so  much  was  his  longing  to  be  alone  with 
God.  There  wasn't  any  place  there  except  the  fields 
and,  I  remember,  up  back  of  the. headquarters  there 
was  a  wheat  shock  and  Hugh  would  say,  'Ed,  pray 
for  me.  I  am  going  up  to  be  alone.'  And  I  would 
watch  him  until  he  got  up  by  the  wheat  shock  and  he 
would  get  behind  it  for  secret  prayer.  After  he 
167 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

would  come  down  I  was  so  hungry  to  get  alone  with 
God  myself  that  he  would  remain  in  the  tent,  while  I 
would  go  up.  I  became  very  much  attached  to  the 
boy.  The  soldiers  spoke  of  his  life  all  along  while 
we  were  there.  The  ten  days  that  we  were  there,  his 
life  was  wonderfully  sweet  and  tender.  He  would 
take  a  man  by  the  arm  and  talk  to  him  about  Christ, 
by  the  door  of  our  tent  or  any  place  at  all.  Hugh's 
motto  was,  'All  for  Jesus.'  " 

Said  another  delegate,  "  I  want  to  tell  about  Hugh 
Beaver  at  the  soldiers'  camp.  The  boys  in  the  camp 
generally  have  a  lot  of  entertainments  on  the  grounds, 
but  when  Beaver  came,  the  tent  was  crowded.  They 
all  went  to  hear  him.  I  want  to  tell  you  one  hymn  he 
taught  them  all  to  sing.  He  sang  it  every  night  be- 
fore roll-call : — '  When  the  roll  is  called  up  yonder, 
I'll  be  there,'  and  I  know  a  hundred  have  promised 
me  that  when  the  roll  is  called  up  yonder  they  will 
be  there.  I  remember,  one  year  ago  to-morrow, 
when  we  returned  from  the  convention  at  Reading, 
we  were  all  in  the  rear  end  of  the  car.  There  was 
quite  a  company,  including  Hugh  Beaver,  and  he 
has  been  a  friend  of  mine  ever  since.  He  has  sent 
me  a  great  deal  of  work  there,  keeping  my  work 
moving  in  the  slums  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  al- 
ways one  of  a  giving  nature.  He  helped  me  with  my 
supplies.  Can  I  forget  him?  Not  I.  .  .  .  I  re- 
member the  hymn  we  sang  coming  from  Reading. 
...  I  tell  you  I  haven't  got  through  speaking  of 
my  friend,  Hugh  Beaver." 

On  July,  1896,  Hugh  replied  to  Mr.  Will  Moody's 
letter  in  behalf  of  his  father,  inviting  him  to 
come  to  Mount  Hermon  to  be  associated  with 

1G8 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

Mr.  James  McConaughy  in  teaching  tlie  English 
Bible. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Moody  : 

"  Your  letter  reached  me  during  the  rush  of 
work  of  conducting  meetings  at  the  National  Guard 
Encampment  and  it  was  not  until  it  was  over,  after 
prayer  and  thought  that  I  could  come  to  a  decision. 
I  have  been  led  to  decide  in  the  negative.  ...  I 
honestly  feel  that  I  can  make  my  life  count  for  more 
for  the  Master  in  the  field  in  which  I  am  working 
than  at  Mt.  Hermon.  My  experience  as  a  teacher  of 
the  training  class  has  led  me  to  believe  that  my  talent 
is  not  in  that  line.  I  fully  believe  that  all  things  are 
possible  through  Christ,  yet  it  is  He  who  has  deter- 
mined a  diversity  of  gifts,  and  I  am  very  sure  that  I 
have  not  been  able  to  regard  teaching  as  the  talent  in- 
trusted to  my  keeping.  ...  I  am  sure  that  God  has 
a  much  better  fitted  man  in  His  plan  for  the  place  at 
Mt.  Hermon.  It  is  and  will  be  my  prayer  that  you 
will  be  led  to  Him.  .  .  .  Please  communicate  this 
to  your  father  and  thank  him  in  my  name  for  the 
call. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

The  rest  of  the  summer  Hugh  spent  at  home. 
In  the  frame  of  the  mirror  in  his  room  he  stuck 
a  card  v^ith  the  words,  "  I  shall  pass  through  this 
world  but  once;  any  good,  therefore,  that  I  can 
do  or  any  kindness  that  1  can  show  to  any  human 
being  let  me  do  it  now;  let  me  not  defer  nor 
neglect  it,  for  I  shall  not  pass  this  way  again." 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

He  kept  one  pocket  for  pennies  which  he  gave  to 
small  boys,  especially  small  negro  boys,  for  whom 
he  had  a  great  fondness.  One  exploit  of  his 
during  this  vacation  was  characteristic.  He  re- 
turned late  one  night  after  a  bicycle  trip  and  find- 
ing the  house  closed,  he  climbed  up  the  piazza  and 
through  a  window  into  Gilbert's  study.  He  slept 
there  and  in  the  morning  wrote  on  a  paper  in  a 
scrawling  hand,  "Thanks  for  the  use  of  your 
sofa.  Wandering  Willie,"  and  pinned  this  on 
the  sofa  in  the  room  and  leaving  the  window 
open  and  the  door  locked  went  off  to  his  own 
room  where  he  smothered  his  glee  with  pillows 
while  the  servants  expressed  their  horror  at  the 
impudence  and  boldness  of  the  tramp  who  had 
spent  the  night  in  such  comfort. 

The  autumn  work  began  with  September. 
His  diary  for  September  3d,  reads,  "  C.  E.  Con- 
vention, Milesburg.  Phil.  iii.  7-14.  Help  me 
my  Father  to  press  on  more  earnestly.  Not  my 
own."  As  he  set  out  he  wrote  to  the  Office  Sec- 
retary, "1  have  the  big  balance  of  eighty  cents 
in  bank  to  my  credit,"  and  later  wrote,  "  Many 
thanks  for  the  check.  You  made  a  small  mistake 
in  the  amount.  $55.20  should  have  been  $55.60. 
It  does  not  matter  to  me  just  so  it  does  not  put 
you  wrong  in  your  accounts." 

A  deeper  peace,  a  freedom  from  mood,  a 
steadiness,  an  evenness,  unknown  before,  were 

170 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

coming  into  his  Christian  life  now.     On  Sept.  lo 
he  wrote  to  a  friend  from  Lancaster: 

"  My  prayer  has  been  all  day,  '  More  love  to  Thee, 
O  Christ,  more  of  Thy  love  in  me,'  and  it's  been  a 
very  sweet  peace  that  has  been  flowing  into  the  heart 
that  has  had  so  much  of  self  and  selfishness  in  it. 
He  is  simply  a  wonderful  Master  we  serve,  wonderful 
in  His  love  that  passeth  all  knowledge,  all  under- 
standing. May  our  own  dear  Father  keep  and  guide 
us  all,  '  all  roads  and  all  days.'  " 

To  another  he  writes,  "  May  God  teach  us  to 
just  allow  Him  to  help  us." 

Hugh  gave  not  a  little  work  to  the  institutions 
in  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg  this  fall.  He  appre- 
ciated the  great  difficulties  under  which  the  Chris- 
tian men  were  laboring — indifferent  faculties  of- 
ten, the  temptations  of  city  life,  the  want  of  college 
feeling  and  its  community  sympathy.  One  of 
the  Pittsburg  institutions  would  not  even  provide 
a  room  for  the  meetings  of  the  Christian  students. 
To  one  of  them  who  was  greatly  discouraged  he 
wrote,  "  Do  not  give  up  the  ship.  It  is  certainly 
the  will  of  our  Father  that  the  work  should  go 
on,"  and  later,  "  Hold  fast  a  little  longer." 

Hugh  was  exceedingly  practical  and  sane  in  all 
his  work.  He  wrote  to  a  student  at  one  college 
where  he  was  to  be  at  the  opening  meeting,  "1 
expect  to  be  present  but  want  you  to  lead  or  your 
leader  as  planned.     1  may  say  a  few  words  after- 

171 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

ward  but  think  it  far  better  to  take  but  little 
part."  He  was  eager  to  train  others  to  work, 
and  he  never  spoke  except  with  direct  reference 
to  practical  result.  A  negro  student  at  Lincoln 
University  wrote  to  him: 

"It  seems  to  me  that  we  need  to  be  stirred  up  on 
the  subject  of  practical  Christianity,  '  An  everyday 
life  fur  Christ.'  Remembering  your  visit  to  us  last 
fall,  and  the  lasting  impressions  which  you  made 
upon  the  students,  1  feel  that  if  you  will  address  us 
upon  that  subject,  you  will  help  us  much.  .  .  .  May 
the  Master  give  you  a  message  for  us,  and  we  pray 
that  He  will  prepare  our  hearts  to  receive  it." 

He  was  very  frank  and  conciliatory  in  his  deal- 
ing with  the  difficulties  men  presented.  He 
wrote  this  note  to  a  student  at  Gettysburg  who 
complained  bitterly  of  the  difficulties  he  thought 
the  fraternities  introduced  into  Christian  work  in 
college  and  who  told  Hugh  that  he  wanted  his 
candid  opinion  on  the  subject,  which  he  felt 
Hugh  had  not  given  when  on  a  previous  visit: 

"  Meadville,  Pa.,  October  6,  1896. 

"  My  dear : 

"Your  letter  at  hand.  Sorry  you  are  hav- 
ing trouble.  .  .  .  Don't  antagonize  the  Frats.  more 
than  you  can  help.  I'll  not  be  silent  when  I  visit  you, 
on  the  subject.  Did  not  realize  I  was  before.  Would 
write  but  I  am  pressed  for  time.  God  bless  you  and 
His  work. 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 
172 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

Other  institutions  felt  the  difficulties  arising 
from  tarnished  lives  of  men  calling  themselves 
Christian.  One  student  wrote,  "The  great 
problems  which  confront  us  are  lack  of  conse- 
cration and  the  inconsistency  of  the  Christian 
men.  So  possibly  we  would  get  the  greatest 
good  from  your  visit  if  you  spoke  on  this  sub- 
ject in  the  evening."  Hugh  was  accustomed 
to  speak  on  this  subject,  with  love  for  the  men 
but  without  mercy  for  the  dishonor  cast  on 
Christ. 

On  September  28  Hugh  wrote  in  his  diary  the 
simple  words,  "There  is  liberty."  The  next  day 
he  had  a  narrow  escape  at  Haverford,  where  a 
stray  bullet  just  whizzed  past  his  head,  but 
missed  him,  as  he  was  riding  in  the  railroad 
train.  The  thought  of  freedom  remained  with 
him.  On  October  4  he  wrote,  "Jesus  Christ,  the 
same,  yesterday  and  forever.  There  is  liberty." 
He  was  attending  a  college  conference  on  this 
day  at  Oil  City,  one  of  three  district  conventions 
he  attended  this  month  where  he  had  charge  of 
the  students  who  came.  One  who  heard  him  at 
this  conference  wrote  afterward,  "  I  do  not  re- 
member his  words,  but  as  he  stood  up  there  so 
deeply  moved  and  yet  with  perfect  control  I 
thought  it  was  the  sweetest  picture  of  youthful 
devotion  I  had  ever  witnessed."  His  report  for 
the   month   closed   with  the  sentence,   "Work 

173 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

throughout  state  with  about  five  exceptions  is  in 
good  shape." 

His  first  Sunday  in  November  was  spent  at 
State  College.  His  diary,  in  which  almost  all  the 
days  are  blank  or  marked  only  by  the  name  of 
the  place  where  he  was,  reads  : 

"  My  life,  my  love  I  give  to  Thee 
Thou  Lamb  of  God  who  died  for  me 
Oh  may  I  ever  faithful  be 
My  Saviour  and  my  God. 
Keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  Thee,  my  Master. — H.  M.  B." 

The  whole  month  was  satisfactory  to  him. 
"God  gave  me  a  good  trip,"  he  wrote,  and  his 
report  says: 

"  The  Association  in  every  college  visited  is  I  be- 
lieve in  better  shape  and  doing  better  work  than  last 
year  with  the  exception  of  State  College.  At  Mer- 
cersburg  a  number  of  men  made  a  stand  for  Christ, 
eighteen  or  twenty.  The  Association  should  now 
have  a  much  greater  influence  upon  life  at  school. 
The  meetings  during  the  month  were  marked  by  a 
deep  spirituality  and  earnestness  without  exception. 
Christian  men  seeking  first  His  kingdom  and  His 
righteousness." 

Of  these  meetings  at  Mercersburg  he  wrote  to  his 
mother:  "Have  had  wonderful  meetings.  .  .  . 
Among  those  who  made  a  stand  for  Christ  at 
Mercersburg  were  some  of  the  most  influential 
men  in  the  college.  Praise  God."  His  diary  on 
the  evening  of  the  Mercersburg  meeting  says,  "I 

174 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

thank  Thee,  my  Father.  Keep  them  by  Thy 
Power."  To  a  friend  he  wrote,  "Pray  for  the 
men  that  made  a  start  at  Mercersburg."  The 
following  letters  he  wrote  back  to  men  whom  he 
was  still  carrying  on  his  heart: 

"Pittsburg,  Pa.,  Nov.  2ist. 
"My  dear  C.  : 

"You  have  been  much  in  my  thoughts  and 
prayers  since  I  left  you  just  a  week  ago.  Guess  that 
week  has  not  been  a  very  easy  one  if  you  have  been 
standing  by  the  flag  like  a  man.  I'd  like  to  help  you, 
old  man,  but  I  don't  know  how  to  express  myself. 
Remember  that  if  you  truly  believe  in  Jesus  Christ 
and  are  doing  the  very  best  you  know  how,  having 
told  God  of  your  sin  and  asked  Him  for  Christ's  sake 
to  forgive  you,  you  have  a  clean  page  to  start  out 
with.  Keep  it  clean,  old  man,  and  when  it  does  get 
splashed  before  you  have  had  a  chance  to  think,  just 
ask  Him  to  forgive  and  make  it  right  again.  He  says 
over  in  Isaiah  xli.  13,  '  For  I  the  Lord  thy  God  will  hold 
thy  right  hand  saying  unto  thee,  Fear  not,  I  will  help 
thee.'  The  Person  that  said  that  has  almighty 
power.  Trust  Him.  One  thing  more — a  man  is 
never  downed  until  he  gives  up.  Whatever  happens, 
stick  to  it,  t'ray  and  read  your  sister's  Bible  and 
your  strength  will  increase.  God  keep  you,  old 
fellow. 

"  Faithfully  your  friend, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver. 

"WilJ  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  if  ycu  feel  like 
writing.  Philippians,  4  chap.  9th  verse.  Look  it 
up." 

175 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"Pittsburg,  Nov.  21st. 
"My  dear  F.  : 

"  I  hardly  know  wliat  to  write  you,  but  you 
have  been  so  much  in  my  thoughts  and  prayers  for 
the  last  week  that  I  feel  as  though  I  must  write,  not 
for  yourself  alone,  but  because  I  believe  you  might  be 
a  mighty  power  for  good  in  your  institution  by  being 
filled  with  the  power  of  God. 

"Men  there  are  in  awful  need  of  a  strong,  manly 
Christian  fellow.  In  God's  hand  you  can  be  that 
fellow  and  make  this  last  year  count  for  all  eternity. 
Sincerely  ask  God  to  increase  your  faith.  In  the 
meantime  exercise  what  you  have  now.  Be  earnest 
in  Prayer  and  Bible  study,  and  take  part  in  the  work 
for  Christ,  remembering  that  He  is  more  interested  in 
it  than  you  are.  Don't  give  up,  old  man, — if  you  are 
sincerely  seeking  light  and  doing  your  best  to  live  up 
to  what  light  you  do  see,  it  will  come  out  all  riglit. 
See  Isa.  xli.  13.  God  keep  you  and  lead  you  each 
day. 

"  Faithfully  your  friend, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

"Phila.,  Dec.  8th. 
"My  dear  W.  : 

"I  have  been  hoping  to  find  a  little  book 
here  that  I  wanted  to  send  you,  but  it  does  not  seem 
to  be  about.  I  have  tliought  and  prayed  very  often 
for  the  fellows  back  with  you  and  for  you  that  you 
might  come  to  truly  know  Jesus  Christ,  that  your  life 
might  become  a  mighty  power  for  Him  in  Mercers- 
burg.  One  thing  I  know,  you  can  grow  to  be  just 
such  a  man,  if  you  will.  It  lies  with  you  whetlier 
your  life  is  to  be  used  by  God  in  lifting  up  scores  of 
poor  sin-scarred  lives  into  liberty  in  Christ  or  not. 
176 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

As  in  the  physical  life,  we  only  grow  strong  by  plenty 
of  food  and  exercise,  so  in  the  man  that  lives  forever. 
By  feeding  on  His  word  and  working  for  Him,  we  in 
time  become  strong  men.  God  help  you,  old  man, 
and  make  you  just  long  to  be  more  like  His  Son. 
Frankly,  '  Half-way  doings  ain't  no  count ;  for  this 
world  or  the  next.'  Phil.  iii.  13,  14,  and  I  am  very 
sure  you'll  find  Phil.  iv.  13  true,  and  I  know  iv.  19 
is.  If  you  feel  like  writing,  let  me  know  frankly  how 
things  are  going  with  yourself  and  the  other  fellows. 
I  fear  some  of  them  do  not  know  where  to  go  for 
help,  that  some  will  desert  the  flag.  Stand  by  it,  old 
man,  through  thick  and  thin.  '  Suffer  hardship  with 
me  as  a  good  soldier  of  Christ  Jesus.'  It's  a  fight 
from  start  to  finish,  but  thank  God  we  can  come  out 
more  than  conquerors.  Remember  that  there  is  no 
limit  to  what  the  Almighty  God  can  do  through  you, 
but  we  must  always  remember  to  whom  the  glory  be- 
longs. I'd  be  glad  to  hear  if  you  feel  like  writing. 
Bellefonte,  Pa.,  my  address. 

"Faithfully, 
"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

On  December  14,  he  wrote  again  to  the  man  to 
whom  the  second  of  these  letters  was  addressed. 

"Phila.,  Pa.,  Dec.  14th. 
"  MV  DEAR  F.  : 

"  I  have  been  working  in  hard  fields  these 
last  two  weeks  among  the  Med.  Colleges  and  have 
had  some  wonderful  proofs  of  the  power  of  God  in 
seeing  men  turned  to  Him  who  have  been  deep  in 
sin.  To-day  I  had  a  Jew,  one  of  the  bright  men  in 
the  Junior  Class  of  one  of  the  big  Med.  Colleges, 
come  to  me  and  we  had  a  long  talk.  To  accept 
177 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Christ  would  probably  mean  that  he  would  be  driven 
from  home,  and  yet  I  believe  he  will  take  Him  as  his 
personal  Saviour.  Our  faith  grows  as  we  use  what  we 
have.  God  wants  you  to  be  a  mighty  power  for  Him. 
No  difference  what  failures  you  have  had  since  I  saw 
you.  Hold  fast.  Don't  give  up.  If  you  are  in  ear- 
nest, He  will  show  you  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God.  I 
send  you  a  little  booklet.  Please  read  it  prayerfully. 
It  has  helped  me  wonderfully  in  the  past.  Remem- 
ber that  Bible  study  and  prayer  are  necessary  for 
Christian  growth,  and  that  you  must  exercise  to  be- 
come strong.  The  State  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Convention  is 
to  be  at  Reading  Feb.  18-22.  Wish  you  could  plan 
to  be  there.  Entertainment  free.  Reduced  rates  on 
all  R.  R.'s.  God  help  you  in  your  fight.  Glad  to 
hear  all  about  the  fellows,  if  you  feel  like  writing. 
Phil,  iv.  13,  19. 

"Ever  your  friend, 
"H.  M.  Beaver." 

Two  other  prayers  appear  in  his  little  diary 
book  for  November. 

"Nov.  19,  California,  Pa.  My  life  is  Thine. 
Keep  it  my  Father  for  Jesus'  sake." 

"Nov.  25,  Huntingdon,  Pa.  I  am  Thine.  Lead 
me.  Keep  little  Jack,  (a  child  lying  very  ill)  my 
Father,  and  may  his  life  be  lived  for  Thee.  For 
Jesus'  sake.'" 

He  was  as  thoughtful  for  others  in  act  as  he 
was  in  prayer.     One  student  recalls  this  incident: 

"  On  one  of  Hugh's  visits  to  a  Penna.  College,  he 
was  walking  along  the  street  from  the  station  with  a 
178 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

student  when  a  cart  passing  by  became  fast  in  the 
mud.  Hugh  put  down  his  valise  and  taking  hold  of 
the  muddy  wheel  assisted  the  driver  to  get  it  started. 
In  doing  this  his  clothes  became  very  much  soiled 
with  the  mud.  Hugh  with  a  smile  picked  up  his 
valise  and  started  on.  The  student  remonstrated  with 
him  for  doing  this  and  getting  his  clothes  muddy 
when  there  was  no  necessity  for  it.  Hugh  said  '  I 
expect  to  pass  through  this  life  but  once,  if  therefore 
there  is  any  kindness  I  can  show  let  me  do  it  now.' 
This  we  afterward  learned  was  a  motto  which  he  had  in 
his  room  or  rather  a  part  of  it,  which  he  had  quoted." 

Hugh's  closing  work  for  the  year  was  done  in 
Philadelphia,  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  medical  schools.  Several  letters  written 
before  leaving  home  for  Philadelphia  are  char- 
acteristic: 

"  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  Nov.  27,  1896. 
"  Dear  Frank  : ' 

"...  I  would  rather  not  speak  in  Huston 
Hall  (at  the  University),  but  if  the  big  guns  are  all 
used  up  and  you  think  it  for  the  best  we'll  trust  God 
to  use  even  the  very  weakest  things  then." 

"  Bellefonte,  Pa.,  Dec.  ist,  1896. 
"  Dear  Pencil: 

"...  Address  meeting  in  Huston  Hall, 
4  o'clock  Sunday,  p.  m.     Remember  it." 

"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  Dec.  3d,  1896. 
' '  Dear  Fencil  : 

"Your  letter  with  enclosed  check  came  in 

•  Mr.  Frank  A.  Beach,  Secretary  of  the  Students'  Work  in  Philadelphia. 
179 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

beautifully.  Able  to  pay  my  Y.  M.  C.  A.  subscrip- 
tion here  in  full  for  'gO-'g"],  and  just  when  they 
needed  the  money.  .  .  .  Many  thanks  for  2  Cor.  i. 
21,  22.     Praise  the  Lord  for  that." 


He  spent  two  weeks  working  in  the  Univer- 
sity, the  Medico-Chirurgical,  the  College  of  Phar- 
macy, Hahnemann,  Jefferson  Medical,  the  Penn- 
sylvania Dental,  and  the  Pierce  School  of  Busi- 
ness. At  almost  all  of  these  he  spoke  on 
"Purity."  The  notes  in  his  diary  for  Sunday, 
Dec.  6,  are  "2  Tim.  ii.  3,  4.  'Julian  Legion.' 
Dutch.  Loyd.  (Lawyer  R.  W.  W.).  Crosswait. 
'  Toby.'  "  That  was  his  speech  outline.  His  re- 
port for  the  month  says:  "Meetings  were  in 
most  cases  well  attended,  but  held  under  difficult 
circumstances,  often  in  a  lecture  room,  A  num- 
ber of  men  rose  to  express  their  need  of  Christ 
and  their  determination  to  become  His  followers. 
Notably  at  College  of  Pharmacy,  where  about  ten 
men  rose  to  accept  Christ  and  twelve  requested 
prayer.  From  personal  interviews  1  am  sure  that 
the  converting  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
manifested  and  His  keeping  power  will  be  more 
fully  known  in  the  lives  of  the  men."  His  diary 
record  for  the  evening  of  the  meeting  at  the  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy  is  "  1  thank  Thee,  my  Father." 

One  of  Hugh's  closest  friends  says  regarding 
these  meetings  in  Philadelphia: 

180 


Among  the  Students  of  Pennsylvania 

"  A  medical  student  told  me  there  were  men  at  the 
University  who  would  go  to  hear  Hugh  who  never 
went  inside  a  religious  meeting,  that  he  was  the 
University's  favorite  speaker.  He  spent  much  time 
in  prayer  before  these  meetings,  for  often  he  entered 
the  room  with  the  students  in  a  perfect  uproar  and  he 
said  if  it  had  not  been  that  he  looked  entirely  to  the 
Lord  to  speak  through  him  he  could  never  have  faced 
those  men — he  always  made  a  point  of  bowing  his 
head  in  silent  prayer  before  addressing  them  in  hopes 
that  they  would  realize  to  whom  he  looked  and  to  ask 
the  Lord  for  strength.  Several  times  the  most  noisy 
leaders  were  the  men  most  deeply  touched.  One 
man  especially  whom  Hugh  felt  could  not  be  reached 
— before  the  meeting  was  over,  large  tears  were  glis- 
tening in  his  eyes  and  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  rise 
and  confess  his  indifference  and  desire  to  change  his 
life,  Hugh  told  me  these  experiences  because  he 
knew  I  understood  his  utter  helplessness  and  de- 
pendence upon  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  for 
power.  He  would  so  often  say, '  I  can  tell  thee  all 
this  for  thee  knows  it  is  not  I  but  Christ  working 
through  a  very  weak  and  stnall  member.'  His  prep- 
aration before  a  meeting  was  shutting  himself  up 
alone  with  his  Master,  reading  His  Word  and  talking 
to  Him.  Many  times  he  had  decided  to  use  a  certain 
text  for  his  meeting  and  perhaps  as  he  rose  to  his 
feet  or  during  the  singing  of  a  hymn  an  entirely 
different  thought  or  text  would  be  given  to  him  in 
such  a  way  that  he  knew  the  Lord  wished  him  to 
speak  from  it." 

The  Friend's  manner  of  speech  Hugh  learned 
from  one  with  whom  he  had  grown  up  from 
childhood,   and  he  used  it  constantly  with  his 

181 


A  Memorial  ot  a  True   Life 

mother  and  with  some  of  those  whom  he  came 
to  know  best. 

Several  of  his  letters  regarding  these  Philadel- 
phia meetings  are  worth  quoting: 

"Philadelphia,  Dec.  ii,  1896. 
"Dear  Fencil: 

"...  Have  had  several  men  rise  to  ac- 
cept Christ  and  many  requests  for  prayer,  and  that 
in  a  Medical  College  shows  the  power  of  God.  I 
have  not  made  it  easy.  If  the  men  are  not  enough 
in  earnest  to  stand  before  their  fellows,  they  are  not 
in  shape  to  call  upon  Him  to  be  their  Friend.  Re- 
member my  meetings  in  your  prayers.  There  is  so 
much  to  work  against  here  which  nothing  short  of  the 
power  of  the  Almighty  God  can  overcome.  All  glory 
to  Him.  ...  I  pray  that  men  may  see  their  lives  as 
God  sees  them.  He  has  been  breaking  them  down 
and  I  am  sure  will  lead  them  to  perfect  peace  in 
Christ  Jesus.   .   .  . 

"Faithfully, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver," 

"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  Dec.  22,  1896. 
"Dear  Frank  : 

"I  have  often  thought  of  you  and  the  fel- 
lows in  Philadelphia  who  made  a  start.  Thinking  of 
meant  praying  for  and  I  send  you  Phil.  iv.  19,  as  one 
thing  Pm  sure  of.  I  missed  the  personal  interviews 
with  men  so  much  while  in  Philadelphia  and  since 
coming  home  it  has  seemed  harder  than  ever  to  do 
work  without  that  feature.  May  God  wonderfully 
bless  you  and  the  fellows  you  touch  in  that  way. 
When  you  write  of  a  man,  tell  me  in  a  few  words  the 
182 


Among  the  Students  of   Pennsylvania 

circumstances  or  in  what  way  I  could  or  should  know 
him." 

The  last  correspondence  of  the  year  was  with 
a  friend  whom  Hugh  called  "Jacob"  and  to 
whom  Hugh  was  "Esau,"  in  which  Jacob 
was  invited  to  come  to  Bellefonte  for  a  visit  and 
replied: 

"  Don't  you  say  a  word  about  my  bunking  else- 
where than  withyou.  I  want  to  be  in  your  presence, 
awake  or  asleep,  just  as  long  as  I  can,  and  I'll  try  to 
make  our  time  together  just  as  poetic  as  possible — 
(^Loivell  a  specialty ) . " 

Hugh  had  been  more  or  less  under  the  physi- 
cian's care.  Carrying  both  his  Christian  work 
and  the  burden  of  rebuilding  the  fraternity  house 
he  wrote  at  one  time,  "My  health  will  surely 
give  way  under  this  strain  if  it  continues  much 
longer."  At  the  close  of  the  year  he  wanted  a 
month  for  rest  but  there  was  to  be  no  rest  for 
him.  The  night  was  coming  when  he  could  not 
work  any  more.  With  new  zeal  he  set  about 
doing  the  will  of  the  Father  who  had  sent  him, 
while  it  was  day. 


183 


VII 


LAST  MONTHS   OF  WORK   IN   PENNSYLVANIA 

"  O  just  and  faithful  knight  of  God  ! 

Ride  on  !  the  prize  is  near  ; 

So  pass  I  hostel,  hall  and  grange  ; 

By  bridge  and  ford,  by  park  and  pale, 
All  arm'd  1  ride,  whate'er  betide, 

Until  I  find  the  Holy  Grail." — Tennyson,  Sir  Galahad. 

"One  a.  M.Jan,  ist,  1897.    Heb.  ii.  18.  Rescue. 

"  '  My  life,  my  love  I  give  to  Thee 
Thou  Lamb  of  God  who  died  for  me  : 
O  may  I  ever  faithful  be 
My  Saviour  and  my  God.' 

Keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  Thee, 
my  Master." 

These  are  the  words  written  at  the  top  of  the 
first  page  of  Hugh  Beaver's  diary  for  1897,  the 
last  year  of  his  short  life.  The  next  entry  is  on 
Jan.  3,  Sunday,  indicating  that  he  spoke  at  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  Bellefonte,  that  day,  on  "  Choose 
ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve."  He  took  an 
active  part  in  the  meetings  of  the  Week  of  Prayer 
with  which  the  year  began  in  his  own  home 
church.  One  of  his  closest  friends  recalls  these 
meetings: 

"  In  looking  back  it  seems  like  a  week  of  perfect 
peace  and  happiness  for  Hugh.     He  seemed  over- 

184 


Last  Months  of  Work  In  Pennsylvania 

flowing.  The  evening  he  conducted  the  services  the 
chapel  was  filled  and  many  were  present  simply  to 
hear  him.  This  was  all  secondary  in  his  mind  for 
he  felt  that  night  that  the  Lord  had  not  used  him 
as  he  had  hoped." 

Hugh  was  solicitous  about  the  men  who  had 
been  drawn  toward  Christ  in  the  meetings  in 
Philadelphia  and  the  following  letter  was  in  re- 
sponse to  his  inquiries: 

"Philadelphia,  Jan.  i8,  '97. 
"  My  dear  Hugh  : 

"...  Have  been  unable  thus  far  to  see — , 
the  Jew ;  you  remember  he  had  a  long  conversation 
with  you  at  Medico  Chirurgical.  I  called  one  even- 
ing last  week  on  the  man  who  played  the  piano  at 
the  Pharmacy  (sitting  in  front  of  all  the  fellows  and 
rose)  :  he  was  a  backslider  but  has  come  out  defi- 
nitely and  clearly  for  the  Lord.  He  is  getting  in 
Bible  study  daily  after  ten  o'clock  when  he  finishes 
his  work  and  is  becoming  deeply  interested  in  a  non- 
Christian  classmate  who  has  been  leading  a  very  wild 
life.  This  friend  of  his,  upon  whom  I  have  called 
without  finding  him  in,  said  that  he  wanted  to  rise  in 

your  meeting  but  had  not  courage.   ,   .  .     Mr.  R , 

the  Catholic,  who  I  think  sat  on  the  front  row  at 
Pharmacy,  wearing  glasses  and  rather  tall,  is  leading 
a  moral  life  but  not  as  trustful  as  might  be  I  fear; 
have  had  no  opportunity  to  converse  with  him  alone. 
...  I  pray  for  you  daily,  Hugh,  and  know  you  re- 
member the  work  and  the  poor  stick  down  here  who 
is  at  the  head  of  it. 

"As  ever,  yours, 

"  Frank  A.  Beach." 
185 


A  Memoriul  of  a  True  Life 

"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  January  22,  1897. 
"  My  dear  Frank: 

"Many  thanks   for   your  kind   letter,   old 
man.     '  May  the  God  of  Peace   Himself  grant  you 
peace  at  all  times  and  in  all  ways.'  .  .  . 
"As  ever, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

A  new  call  came  to  Hugh  in  February.  The 
first  entry  for  the  month  in  his  diary  is: 

"  For  me  to  live  is  Christ 
To  die  is  endless  gain." 

The  call  was  given  in  the  following  letter  from 
the  General  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Associations  of  New  York  City: 

"February  15th,  1897. 
"Dear  Mr.  Beaver: 

"Not  being  aware  of  your  address  I  have 
taken  the  liberty  of  enclosing  this  in  a  letter  to  your 
brother. 

"Your  brother  will  tell  you  of  our  large  students' 
work  in  this  city,  and  he  is  somewhat  familiar  with 
its  needs. 

"Our  present  Secretary,  Mr.  Hunt,  has  resigned, 
and  we  are  seeking  a  successor.  At  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Committee  appointed  to  take  the  matter  into 
consideration,  which  was  held  last  Saturday  evening, 
I  was  instructed  to  communicate  with  you  on  the  sub- 
ject, to  ascertain  if  you  would  favorably  consider  a 
call  to  the  work. 

"I  am  somewhat  familiar  with   the  student  field 
throughout  the  country  and  I  doubt  if  there  is  a  po- 
186 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

sition  of  larger  usefulness  in  this  or  any  other  land 
for  a  man  whose  heart  is  thoroughly  enlisted  in  the 
work,  than  is  to  be  found  in  New  York. 

"  We  would  be  glad  to  have  you  come  on  and  look 
over  the  field  if  you  feel  so-disposed,  but  if  you  would 
prefer  not  to  do  so,  we  would  be  glad  to  have  your 
permission  to  present  your  name. 

"I  am  happy  to  say  that  you  have  won  both  the 
confidence  and  affection  of  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee who  are  acquainted  with  you,  and  for  that 
reason  you  would  be  assured  of  very  hearty  cooper- 
ation. 

"  The  Committee  of  Management  is  composed  of 
a  fine  set  of  men,  and  they  are  animated  by  a  very 
earnest  purpose. 

"I  do  not  know  of  any  man  who  would  be  any- 
thing like  as  satisfactory  as  yourself,  and  from  all 
that  I  can  learn  as  well  qualified  for  the  position.  It 
is  a  large  field.  We  certainly  need  you,  and  ear- 
nestly hope  that  you  may  be  guided  in  relation  to  this 
matter.     I  am, 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"R.  R.  MCBURNEY. 

"Mr.  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

A  member  of  the  committee  making  the  call 
wrote  the  same  day,  "The  financial  inducement 
is  not  great  but  that  is  of  course  the  least  of 
the  inducements.  The  work  is  now  in  a  very 
promising  condition  for  a  strong  advance  move- 
ment. And  there  is  almost  no  limit  to  the 
amount  of  good  the  right  man  can  accomplish  in 
the  next  two  or  three  years." 

187 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

While  considering  this  call  Hugh's  work  for 
the  month  took  him  to  the  State  Convention 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociations at  Reading,  Pennsylvania.  On  his 
way  to  the  convention  he  wrote  to  an  intimate 
friend: 

"Sunday  morning  I  staid  at  home  to  rest  for  my 
work  of  the  afternoon  and  eve.  God  seemed  to 
bless  the  little  that  I  did  for  Him  and  it  made  me 
much  more  peaceful  to  be  at  His  work.  I  go  to  the 
Convention  expecting  great  things.  Every  indication 
seems  to  point  to  a  most  helpful  time.  Personally  I 
feel  that  it's  to  be  a  crisis  with  me.  I  certainly  can- 
not be  as  I  have  been,  one  who  seemingly  at  least, 
cares  little  for  the  honor  of  his  King.  Pray  that 
God's  plan  may  be  entirely  carried  out  in  my  life. 
For  some  reason  the  New  York  work  does  not  appear 
so  distasteful  as  at  first.  My  only  prayer  is  '  What 
wouldest  Thou  have  me  do?  '  Surely  our  Father  will 
make  very  clear  to  us  His  plan  and  give  us  what  help 
we  need  to  carry  it  out.  ...  I  confess  that  many, 
many  times  I  have  gone  into  what  I  felt  sure  grieved 
Him  but  I  am  sure  He  has  already  '  washed  me 
whiter  than  snow.'  " 

One  hundred  and  thirty-five  students  were 
present  at  the  convention.  Hugh  had  charge  of 
the  college  conference,  the  conference  with  nor- 
mal school  delegates,  and  another  with  repre- 
sentatives of  all  the  associations  which  were  to 
be  visited  the  next  month  on  a  tour  he  was  plan- 
ning to  take  with  Mr.  Charles  T.  Studd.     He  was 

188 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

called  upon  to  speak  constantly.     Thus  he  wrote 
on  the  last  day  of  the  convention: 

"I  am  writing  this  on  my  knee  in  great  haste. 
Have  been  simply  rushed  all  week.  Have  had  four 
services  already  to-day  and  speak  in  First  Presby- 
terian Church  and  in  Farewell  Meeting  this  evening. 
Be  much  in  prayer,  please,  that  He  may  guide.  lam 
very  tired  and  would  like  to  lie  down." 

Hugh  says  little  of  these  meetings,  but  he 
made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  delegates 
and  the  people  of  the  city.  When  the  news  of 
his  death  reached  the  city  six  months  later  it 
called  forth  such  expressions  as  these: 

"  The  name  of  your  now  sainted  son  Hugh  is  on 
the  lips  of  thousands  of  people  of  our  city  this  morn- 
ing. His  artless  sincerity  won  the  hearts  of  parents, 
many  of  whom  to-day  hold  him  up  as  a  model  to 
their  sons." 

"The  news  of  his  death  came  as  a  shock  to  all. 
Many  on  the  street  spoke  of  it  in  tones  of  sadness, 
and  all  realized  that  a  life  full  of  exceeding  rare 
promise  had  passed  away.  Personally,  when  I  first 
heard  of  it,  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  tears;  it 
actually  seemed  that  a  very  dear  kinsman  of  mine  had 
gone  ;  and  with  such  talents  as  he  possessed  I  honestly 
felt  that  surely  I  could  be  better  spared  than  he." 

The  "Monthly  Bulletin"  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian   Association   of    the  city   of  Reading, 
spoke  thus  of  his  death  and  the  impression  he 
had  left: 

189 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"The  saddest  and  yet  the  most  precious  death 
in  all  our  knowledge  was  that  of  Hugh  McAllister 
Beaver,  who  died  on  the  morning  of  August  2d  at 
the  home  of  his  parents  in  Bellefonte,  Pennsylvania, 
aged  twenty-four  years  and  four  months.  Saddest, 
because  of  the  lovely  life  that  was  cut  off;  precious, 
because  of  the  sweet  memories  left  behind. 

"Our  citizens  well  remember  'Hugh,'  who,  with 
his  father.  General  Beaver,  and  brother  Gilbert  were 
with  us  at  the  State  Convention  held  in  our  city  last 
February. 

"  Hugh  had  a  personality  and  magnetism  for  a 
young  man  that  were  remarkable  :  his  intense  enthu- 
siasm, his  whole-hearted  simplicity,  his  manly  mod- 
esty, together  with  a  naturalness  of  manner  that  was 
exceedingly  attractive,  won  every  one  to  him.  To 
hear  him  speak  was  to  be  consciously  drawn  to  him ; 
to  know  him  was  to  love  him.  He  was  greatly  used 
of  God  and  created  an  atmosphere  of  sunshine  and 
light  wherever  he  went." 

Another  wrote: 

"  I  was  so  much  impressed  last  February  by  Hugh's 
fine  qualities.  ...  I  am  reminded  now  of  a  short 
talk  1  had  with  him  while  we  were  walking.  I  asked 
him  what  he  was  going  to  do,  whether  he  would  study 
for  the  ministry,  or  what.  He  said  simply,  'I  am  in 
the  hands  of  the  Lord.'  I  felt  like  pressing  him  for 
a  more  definite  reply.  But  he  made  none,  and  now 
I  see  how  he  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  and  how 
any  plan  that  he  might  have  had  would  have  been 
negatived.  For  He  who  doeth  all  things  well  had 
other  and  better  plans." 

How  Hugh  won  hearts  is  shown  by  this  letter 

190 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

to  him  from  a  schoolboy  who  was  at  the  con- 
vention: 

"I  don't  know  whether  you  will  remember  who  I 
am  or  not,  but  you  made  such  an  impression  on  me 
that  our  folks  have  heard  nothing  except  Hugh  Beaver. 
.  .  .  When  we  said  good-bye  on  Sunday  nigiit  I  felt 
as  though  we  were  old  acquaintances,  as  1  hope  we 
may  turn  out  to  be,  even  if  I  am  only  a  high  school 
boy,  and  if  this  boy  can  be  of  any  assistance  to  you, 
when  he  is  through  his  education,  in  bringing  souls 
to  Christ,  I  will  be  at  your  service.  In  fact,  you  are 
my  model." 

Reference  has  been  made  already  to  the  trip 
Hugh  contemplated  with  Mr.  Charles  T.  Studd 
through  the  leading  colleges  of  the  state.  Mr. 
Studd  was  a  graduate  of  Cambridge  University 
in  the  year  1884.  He  w.as  one  of  the  company 
popularly  known  as  the  Cambridge  Band  who 
went  out  to  China  in  1885  under  the  China  Inland 
Mission.  He  had  been  a  famous  cricketer  and 
before  leaving  Great  Britain  had  been  of  great 
service  in  connection  with  Mr.  Stanley  Smith, 
another  member  of  the  Band,  a  prominent  oars- 
man at  Cambridge,  in  deepening  the  Christian 
life  of  students  and  others  in  Scotland  and  Eng- 
land, and  in  promoting  genuine  revivals  of  per- 
sonal loyalty  to  Christ  in  many  universities.  In 
Edinburgh  University  especially  a  permanent 
movement  began  which  was  carried  on  by  Pro- 

191 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

fessor  Henry  Drummond  when  Studd  and  Smith 
had  gone.  The  book  known  as  The  Evangeliia- 
tion  of  the  World  or  A  Missionary  Band^  is  the 
record  of  the  work  done  by  the  Cambridge  Band 
before  leaving  home  and  on  the  way  to  China. 
Mr.  Studd  had  been  in  the  United  States  before 
at  some  of  the  summer  conferences,  but  he  was 
spending  some  months  this  year  visiting  indi- 
vidual institutions  and  urging  Christian  men  to 
make  full  surrender  of  life  to  Christ  as  the  Lord 
of  life  and  to  be  ready  for  any  service  He  might 
appoint.  He  did  not  pretend  to  speak  eloquently 
nor  was  it  so  much  a  part  of  his  plan  to  try  to 
move  men  in  public  meetings.  He  gave  himself 
with  unwearying  devotion  to  personal  interviews 
with  men  in  which  he  strove  to  lead  them  one 
by  one,  into  the  life  that  has  at  once  a  Master  and 
a  Mission. 

He  gave  the  month  of  March  to  Pennsylvania 
and  Hugh  went  with  him,  conducting  the  meet- 
ings, making  arrangements  for  them  and  sharing 
in  the  direct  personal  work  with  men  who  were 
willing  to  think  of  being  as  honest  and  honor- 
able with  God  as  they  held  it  was  the  duty  of  a 
gentleman  to  be  with  man.     Hugh's  report  says: 

"The  meetings  have  been  well  attended  and  have 
been  wonderfully  blessed  by  God.  They  have  aimed 
to  lead  men  into  a  deeper  spiritual  life.     A  number 

'  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company. 
192 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

of  men  have  been  led  to  give  their  lives  for  service 
on  the  foreign  field.  Nortiifield  and  the  Presidents' 
Conference  at  Lancaster  have  been  boomed  where 
possible.  Mr.  Studd's  work  cannot  fail  to  have  a 
most  marked  effect  on  the  work  in  the  colleges 
visited." 

Mr.  Studd  enjoyed  this  tour  greatly.  He  wrote 
to  Hugh  especially  of  some  meetings  at  Mead- 
ville,  adding,  "When  you  get  among  real  hot 
Methodists  they  are  just  prime,  but  when  they 
are  cold  they  are  harder  to  move  than  any." 

Mr.  Studd  had  been  overworking,  however, 
and  could  not  be  dissuaded  from  disregard  of 
himself  in  his  longing  to  help  others.  Thus 
Hugh  wrote  from  Bellefonte  to  his  mother  who 
was  away  on  March  13: 

"  Mr.  Studd  and  I  are  enjoymg  to  the  full  our  time 
spent  here.  In  some  way  he  has  taken  a  bad  cold 
and  we  are  getting  ready  for  our  work  of  next  week. 
...  I  am  in  good  shape.  Cold  is  gone  and  people 
say  I  look  very  well,  so  have  no  anxiety.  .  .  .  We 
drive  to  the  college  to-morrow  and  back  to  speak  to 
our  church  in  the  evening.  Studd  will  not  give  up 
either  the  college  or  the  evening  service  here,  so  I 
simply  fall  in  with  his  plan." 

But  that  plan  was  not  carried  out: 

"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  March  15,  1897. 
"  My  dear  Fencil, 

"...  Studd's  work  in  China  has  left  him 
with  bad  lungs,  etc.,  and  he  has  been  laid  up  here. 
193 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

I  was  up  with  him  last  night,  but  he  has  improved 
wonderfully  to-day  and  we  look  for  a  good  night. 
The  doctor  insists  upon  his  remaining  here  until  Fri- 
day. .  .  .  Studd  did  splendid  work  in  the  three 
insLitutions  visited  and  I  believe  he  will  be  a  wonder- 
ful blessing  to  the  rest.  ...  I'm  having  a  hard  time 
to  keep  the  bull  dog  nature  of  the  Englishman  under, 
though  just  now  he  is  so  weak  he  can  scarcely  sit  up. 
Please  keep  it  quiet  as  he  does  not  want  any  one  to 
know  about  it. 

"Faithfully 

"Hugh  McA,  Beaver." 

The  nature  with  which  Hugh  wrestled  is  indi- 
cated in  this  characteristic  letter  in  which  "the 
Englishman "  expresses  regret  for  not  having 
carried  out  the  plans  which  had  been  made  : 

"  Rutgers  College,  19  April,  1897. 
"  My  dear  Hugh  : 

"  I  got  orders  to  go  to  Alexandria  at  40  E. 
23  St.  on  Sat.  &  now  have  just  reed  yr  telegram.  I 
go  this  morn'g,  getting  there  J^  of  5  P.  M.  Had  a 
'rum  go'  here;  arrived  with  a  heavy  cold  & 
asthma,  but  went  to  the  meetings  all  the  same;  it 
seemed  impossible  yesterday  morn'g.  I  didn't  get 
up  till  past  noon  ;  but  He  told  me  He  w'd  see  me 
thro'  &  so  He  did,  bless  His  Name.  So  here  I  am, 
and  this  morning,  a  lot  better  than  yesterday  morn- 
ing, and  more  than  ever  knowing  of  His  love  and 
Goodness  and  Power  ;  it  comes  as  it  came  yesterday 
and  day  before,  so  sweetly,  '  To  them  that  have  no 
might  He  increaseth  strength.'  Oh,  to  trust  Him 
more  and  more  &  to  rejoice  when  one's  own  physical 
194 


Last  Months  of  Work  In  Pennsylvania 

strength  fails  that  one  may  rest  in  utter  abandonment 
on  His  almighty  power. 

"  Keep  right  on  praying  for  me  tho'  won't  you? 

"  I  hope  you  had  a  real  good  wind  up  to  the  State 
Sec.  Coll.  Convention. 

"  I  have  always  so  bitterly  regretted  not  having  got 
up  and  gone  to  State  Coll.  that  Sunday  at  Bellefonte. 
I  do  believe  Jesus  co'd  have  seen  me  thro'  that  as  He 
has  seen  me  thro'  this;  but  you  see  I  stayed  in,  and 
the  result  is  that  I  have  never  been  allowed  to  go 
there  again  ;  nor  have  I  got  to  Lehigh  either;  so  I've 
lost  two  good  opportunities,  &  God  only  knows  how 
many  souls  thro'  my  cowardice.  Euh  !  to  be  sure  one 
is  made  of  poor  stuff. 

"Well,  old  man,  I  do  hope  you  will  have  a  few 
quiet  or  nearly  quiet  days  of  Rest  and  Rest  and 
Prayer.  I  do  so  want  to  know  more  of  HIM  ;  I  know 
so  little  ;  so  just  keep  praying,  and  I  will  pray  that 
He  may  endue  you  with  more  and  more  of  His 
mighty  power  for  the  New  York  work.  Somehow  I 
think  the  Lord  does  not  mean  that  to  be  permanent  for 
you,  but  only  as  a  stepping  stone  to  something  higher. 

"  I  saw  Hunt;  he  was  ever  so  kind,  as  he  always 
is ;  he  does  such  a  lot  and  then  swears  he  has  done 
nothing,  tho'  I  must  have  bothered  his  life  out. 

"Now  good-bye  dear  old  Hugh.  I  can  never 
thank  you  eno'  for  all  your  love  and  kindness  to  me. 
I  shall  hope  to  meet  you  again  at  Asheville,  God  will- 
ing, &  shall  expect  to  see  you  have  grown  quite  a 
deal  older,  but  also  not  less  bright.  Let's  ask  Him 
to  make  us  shine  for  Him. 
"  Now  good-bye, 

"All  of  heart's  love, 

"  Ever  your  very  affectionate, 

"C.  T.  Studd." 
195 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Toward  the  close  of  March  when  Hugh  and 
Studd  had  separated  Hugh  wrote  to  him  added 
words  of  caution: 

"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  March  29th,  1897. 
"My  dear  Parson  : 

"Just  finished  reading  my  mail  and  make 
haste  to  write  you.  I  enclose  Brock's  letter  also 
Gailey's  wire.  To  my  mind  the  29th  would  be  by 
far  the  best  date  and  Til  arrange  for  Lafayette  and 
Lehigh  immediately  after. 

"  As  your  advance  agent  I  take  matters  in  my  own 
hands  and  will  write  Gailey  telling  him  the  29th  will 
be  the  date  and  also  inform  Brock.  Inasmuch  as  he 
says  the  8th  could  be  arranged  for  Princeton,  there 
must  be  no  dates  fixed  as  yet  for  Va.  Mother  in- 
sists upon  your  coming  up  here  for  a  few  days'  rest 
after  Lewisburg,  and  this  boy  believes  fully  tliat  his 
mother  is  just  right  in  that.  You  would  put  in  a  day 
at  State  College  at  the  same  time,  say  Thursday,  but 
we'll  have  a  chance  to  talk  that  over  in  Lancaster. 
A  letter  just  received  from  Meadville  gives  name  of 
the  student  who  has  done  humanity  such  a  favor  in 
taking  you  to  a  Phot.  Gallery,  E.  C.  Smith,  Mead- 
ville, Pa.  Please  put  on  your  company  manners  and 
write  thanking  him  for  ones  sent  you,  etc.  I  would 
also  commend  to  your  careful  consideration  the  latter 
part  of  the  letter  written  by  Mr.  F.  S.  Brockman. 
By  virtue  of  the  authority  conferred  upon  me,  I  com- 
mand you  to  ease  up.  Please  Parson  do  take  care  of 
yourself.  May  our  Father  keep  you  and  yours  in 
perfect  peace. 

"Faithfully, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

196 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

Hugh  speaks  of  the  same  matter  in  another 
letter,  to  his  friend,  Brockman,  who  was  arrang- 
ing a  tour  for  Mr.  Studd  in  the  South: 

"  He  can  just  as  well  come  up  here  for  a  rest,  for 
mother  would  make  him  feel  at  home.  He  has  met 
her  and  I  think  would  feel  at  home  :  the  only  thing 
in  the  way  being  the  dislike  on  his  part  to  leave  a  day 
go  by  without  hard  work.  He  needs  the  rest.  Can- 
not you  write  him  or  wire  him  telling  him  to  rest  in 
Bellefonte  a  few  days  and  fix  his  Virginia  dates  so  as 
to  make  this  possible?  " 

Hugh  was  ever  doing  thoughtful  things  of  this 
sort.  In  a  letter  written  to  an  old  college  friend 
this  spring,  who  had  asked  him  to  do  some  favor 
and  had  apologized  for  troubling  him,  he  wrote: 

"  Bless  your  dear  old  heart,  don't  ever  worry  about 
giving  a  Beaver  trouble.  We  are  only  too  glad  to  do 
whatever  we  can.  I'll  urge  my  friend  McKinley  to 
send  you  to  the  Court  of  St.  James  if  you  want  it. 
George,  Colonel,  but  you  would  captivate  John 
Bull !  " 

Studd  accepted  these  warm  invitations  couched 
in  a  later  letter  in  the  form  of  orders  from  his 
"advance  agent,"  and  coupled  with  the  prayer 
that  "God  would  keep  him  quiet  at  Bellefonte 
for  a  few  days."  Writing  as  he  left  Bellefonte 
he  closed  his  note  to  Hugh:  "  How  lovely  this 
district  must  be  to  travel  through  when  the  rho- 

197 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

dodendrons  are  flowering.  These  hills  are  good 
for  one's  wind.  .  .  .  Hope  everything  is  going 
on  well  with  you.  Growing  a  little  older  I  hope. 
God  bless  you  old  boy:  being  at  Bellefonte  again 
reminded  me  of  how  lovingly  you  nursed  me, 
there.  Good-bye.  God  bless  you  and  make  you 
a  blessing  to  millions."  And  Mr.  Studd  remem- 
bers still  his  tenderness  now  that  he  is  gone, 
writing  from  England: 

"To  those  he  has  left  behind  it  is  one  of  those 
partings  which  make  us  long  to  be  gone  from  this 
earth  also.  He  was  so  ripe — God  could  not  spare 
him  longer.  How  he  got  at  the  hearts  of  the  students 
— old  and  young  ones  !  He  seemed  to  twine  himself 
round  one's  heart.  He  was  indeed  to  me  a  brother 
— a  brother  and  beloved.  I  can  never  forget  how 
tenderly  he  nursed  me,  when  I  was  ill  at  Bellefonte. 
He  was  gentle  as  a  woman  and  loving  as  a  Jonathan 
and  so  bright,  and  oh !  how  I  missed  him,  when  I 
left  Penn'a.  It  was  so  lonely  for  days  afterward 
without  his  merry  laugh  and  spirits  which  never 
seemed  to  becloud  the  deep  love  he  had  for  our  be- 
loved Lord  Jesus.  He  was  just  all  heart — a  big  lump 
of  love ;  and  oh  the  joy  it  was — as  I  had  thought 
never  to  meet  him  more  on  this  earth — to  meet  again 
at  Northfield.   .   .  , 

"  How  nice  it  will  be  to  see  his  beaming  face  at 
the  portal  to  welcome  us  in  by  and  by !  " 

Hugh  gained  much  from  his  intercourse  with 
Studd  in  the  deepening  and  steadying  of    his 

198 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

growing  life  and  during  the  month  they  were  to- 
gether he  decided  the  question  of  his  work  for  the 
year  that  was  never  to  come  to  him.  After  the 
letter  already  quoted  Mr.  McBurney  had  written 
again: 

"February  26th,  1897. 
**  Dear  Mr.  Beaver  : 

"  In  relation  to  the  Secretaryship  of  the  In- 
tercollegiate students'  work  in  New  York,  I  desire  to 
say : 

"First,  The  largest  student  centre  on  this  conti- 
nent is  in  New  York,  and  is  composed  of  students 
from  all  sections  of  our  own  land,  and  from  many  otiier 
lands.  To  reach  with  spiritual  influences  the  student 
settlement  in  New  York  is  to  touch  the  world. 

"  Second,  The  work  has  the  sympathy  of  the  cler- 
gymen, yes,  of  all  classes. 

"Third,  Organization  has  already  been  effected 
in  the  various  universities,  colleges  and  technical 
schools.  These  organizations,  however,  are  but  in 
their  infancy,  and  are  capable  of  very  large  expan- 
sion. 

"Fourth,  Some  progress  has  been  made  in  spiritual 
work,  in  practical  Bible  study,  and  devotional 
work. 

"  Fifth,  All  the  local  organizations  are  represented 
in  the  Intercollegiate,  with  headquarters  at  what  is 
called  the  'Students'  Club,'  and  from  this  club  there 
radiate  out  into  the  local  organizations  awakening 
and  stimulating  influences. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  need  to  add  anything  more 
except  that  the  Sub-committee  have  unanimously  in- 
structed me  to  ask  if  you  will  consent  to  allow  your 
199 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

name  to  be  placed  before  the  Comruittee  of  Manage- 
ment of  the  Intercollegiate  for  appointment  as  Secre- 
tary of  the  work. 

"  An  early  and  favorable  reply  will  be  very  heartily 
appreciated  by  us. 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"R.  R.  McBURNEY. 
*«Mr.  Hugh  McA.  Beaver, 

"Bellefonte,  Pa." 

Several  of  Hugh's  letters  will  show  how  his 
mind  was  working  toward  a  decision: 

"March  4th,  1897. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Bard  : 

"I  have  been  thinking  a  good  deal  on  the 
big  question  that  is  before  me  now,  and  as  yet  am 
undecided.  I  certainly  appreciate  the  action  of  the 
Business  Committee,  and  should  I  have  to  leave  the 
college  work  in  this  good  old  state,  it  will  be  at  the 
sacrifice  of  my  personal  feeling,  and  only  because 
the  Master  would  have  me  elsewhere.  The  longer  I 
think  of  it,  the  harder  it  seems  to  leave,  especially  as 
I  work  up  our  Pres.  Conference  and  Northfield,  both 
of  which  I  believe  will  exceed  anything  we  have  ever 
had.  My  life  is  not  my  own,  however, — that  was  de- 
cided when  I  took  up  my  present  work ;  and  should 
the  Lord  of  the  Harvest  send  me  to  another  portion 
of  the  field,  it  will  not  be,  I  am  sure,  at  the  expense 
of  one  part,  needy  as  it  may  seem.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  will  be  at  the  expense  of  our  work  if  I  should 
remain  here,  when  He  would  have  me  elsewhere.  I 
fully  expect  Him  to  make  His  will  known,  and  noth- 
ing else  will  move  me.  I  thank  you  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart  for  your  kind  letter  and  your  many,  many 
200 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

kindnesses  in  the  past.     Whatever  happens,  my  heart 
will  always  be  very  warm  toward  our  State  Force  and 
work,  and  it  will  be  often  remembered  in  my  prayers. 
"Faithfully, 

"  Hugh  McA,  Beaver." 

to  a  friend. 

"Washington,  Pa.,  Mar.  4,  1897. 
"One  question  comes  continually  before  me  and 
seems  harder  than  ever  to  decide.  The  business  com- 
mittee met  yesterday  in  Harrisburg  and  Bard  writes 
me  as  follows  after  telling  me  that  they  had  unani- 
mously voted  to  raise  my  salary  to  $100  a  month 
(decided  before  call  to  New  York  came),  '  They 
also  expressed  their  heartiest  appreciation  of  your 
work.  All  think  it  would  be  a  great  calamity  for  us 
to  lose  you.  Believe  me  my  dear  boy,  we  cannot  al- 
low you  to  leave  us.  May  God  bless  you.'  Then 
McBurney  writes  that  I  must  come  to  New  York.  In- 
deed it  is  a  blessed  thing  that  One  far  wiser  than  any 
human  being  has  the  decision  to  make,  the  life  to 
place.  I  firmly  believe  that  by  the  time  I  reach 
Bellefonte  one  week  from  to-morrow  He  will  have 
made  clear  just  what  His  will  is.  Remember  me 
often  in  prayer,  that  I  may  be  guided.  May  our 
Father  keep  thee." 

TO   THE   same   friend. 

"Washington,  Pa.,  Mar.  7,  1897. 
"I  have  just  come  home  from  church.  Studd  has 
been  a  source  of  great  joy  to  me  and  we  seem  to  get 
along  splendidly.  His  life  is  simply  lived  for  Christ. 
No  other  idea  seems  to  carry  any  other  weight. 
*  That  I  may  know  Him  and  the  power  of  His  resur- 
201 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

rection  and  the  fellowship  of  His  sufferins:;s  becom- 
ing conformed  into  His  death  ' ;  if  by  any  means  I 
may  attain  unto  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  some 
fellowship  in  the  suffering  of  Christ  and  Paul  in  a 
land  where  they  have  never  heard  of  Him.  I  have 
told  him  fully  of  my  condition  now  in  regard  to  New 
York  and  we  have  made  it  a  subject  of  prayer. 
Surely  the  Father  will  make  unmistakably  clear  just 
what  He  would  have  me  to  do.  Since  dinner  I  have 
had  a  wonderful  time.  Christ  has  been  with  me  so 
manifestly.  Studd  talked  very  freely  of  his  life  this 
afternoon  and  through  it  I  think  I  am  nearer  Him 
than  ever  before.  We  are  to  go  to  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian for  the  service  to-night.  May  God  use  it  to 
His  own  glory.  More  and  more  sure  I  am  that  if 
God  wants  me  in  New  York  He  will  lead  me  to  see  it 
clearly.  May  He  lead  you  into  sweeter  peace  and 
fellowship  with  Him  than  has  ever  been  yours." 

The  question  of  salary  having  been  suggested 
he  wrote,  "  I  should  feel  the  need  of  a  sufficient 
income  (short  of  $4,000  to  avoid  income  tax!)  to 
let  me  feel  free  to  expend  something  in  the  many 
little  personal  ways  that  would  help  me  to  get 
hold  of  the  men  interested  or  whom  I  would  like 
to  get  interested  in  the  work."  Writing  on  the 
same  subject  on  March  6th,  he  added: 

"Do  not  consider  this  letter,  even  though  you 
should  agree  to  all  that  has  been  said,  as  expressing  a 
willingness  on  my  part  to  be  considered  willing  to 
accept  the  call  should  you  see  fit  to  make  it.  Cer- 
tainly I  dare  not  go  to  New  York  as  an  ambassador 
202 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

of  tlie  King  without  the  assurance  from  Him  that  it 
is  His  will  for  me.  Poor  policy  to  expect  that  the 
power  of  the  home  government  will  be  behind  you 
and  be  uncertain  as  to  whether  you  are  in  accord 
witli  it." 

A  coincidence  in  his  life  at  this  time  impressed 
him  very  much.  During  one  of  his  tours  he  went 
to  a  prayer  meeting  in  a  small  church  rather  re- 
luctantly for  he  was  tired  and  needed  rest  but, 
hardly  knowing  why,  he  found  himself  in  this 
meeting.  The  pastor  arose  and  gave  out  for  his 
text  Acts  viii.  26,  "Arise  and  go  toward  the 
south,  .  .  ,  and  he  arose  and  went."  "Hugh's 
mind  being  filled  with  the  proposition  to  leave 
Pennsylvania  and  go  to  New  York  and  this  same 
text  having  helped  to  decide  his  entering  upon 
the  work,  he  was  made  to  feel  that  the  Lord  was 
speaking  to  him." 

On  March  13th  Hugh  was  formally  called  by 
the  committee  having  the  work  in  charge.  Some 
urged  it  upon  him  because  he  was  the  indispen- 
sable man.  "  There  is  no  other  available  man," 
wrote  one.  "Not  only  that  but  there  is  danger  if 
you  don't  take  it,  that  we  may  get  here  what  there 
is  no  likelihood  of  your  getting  in  Pennsylvania 
a  man  who  will  run  the  thing  into  a  hole." 
Hugh  knew  how  lightly  to  appraise  such  ar- 
guments and  he  went  on  quietly  seeking  his 
Master's  will,  and  on  March  i8th  he  wrote: 
203 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"  My  dear  Mr.  McBurney  : 

"  After  much  prayer  I  have  decided  to  accept 
the  call  to  New  York,  and  have  so  written  Mr.  Dur- 
man.  The  field  will  be  very  unlike  my  present  one, 
and  I'll  rely  a  good  deal  upon  the  judgment  of  those 
who  more  thoroughly  understand  it  and  its  needs. 
All  I  can  promise  is  that  I'll  do  my  best  in  His 
strength. 

"Faithfully, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

This  decision  gave  great  delight  to  all  who 
were  connected  with  the  Students'  Club  and  the 
work  in  behalf  of  students  in  New  York  City.  It 
brought  deep  sorrow  to  those  who  had  charge  of 
the  work  for  students  in  Pennsylvania,  though 
they  accepted  it  at  once,  knowing  that  Hugh  had 
followed  his  Master  in  what  he  believed  was  the 
way  of  his  mission.  He  put  the  matter  as  fol- 
lows to  the  committee  in  Pennsylvania: 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Bard  : 

"  The  matter  of  a  change  of  field  has  been 
decided  after  much  prayer.  I  am  led  to  believe  that 
the  Master  would  have  me  in  New  York  next  year  at 
least,  and  hence  will  give  up  my  present  position  on 
Sept.  I  St. 

"I  cannot  tell  you  how  hard  it  has  been  for  me 
to  finally  decide  to  leave  this  dear  old  state.  My 
work  has  been  most  congenial  to  me,  and  I  only  re- 
gret that  I  could  not  give  or  have  not  given  better 
service.  No  difference  what  position  I  may  occupy 
in  the  future,  the  work  of  our  State  Committee  will  be 
204 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

very  near  and  dear  to  me.  Nothing  but  the  call  of 
the  Lord  of  the  Harvest  could  send  me  to  another 
field,  and  because  I  firmly  believe  that  He  wants  me 
elsewhere,  I  leave,  with  a  heart  filled  with  gratitude 
to  Him,  who  gave  me  this  opportunity  to  labor  for 
Him  in  my  home  state.  I  am  sure  the  Master  has  a 
man  reserved  for  the  work  I  leave.  May  He  lead  you  to 
him.  It's  useless  for  me  to  try  to  express  my  grati- 
tude to  you  and  the  committee  and  force;  believe 
me,  I  feel  it. 

"Faithfully, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

Hugh  made  several  visits  to  New  York  during 
the  spring  to  get  the  work  in  hand  before  the 
students  went  away  for  the  summer,  and  in  April 
a  reception  was  held  for  him  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
James  G.  Cannon,  Vice-president  of  the  Fourth 
National  Bank  of  New  York  City,  and  a  warm 
friend  of  the  students'  work. 

The  student  field  in  New  York  City  is  of  im- 
measurable importance.^    Hugh  seemed  ideally 

'  Mr.  Henry  W.  Georgi,  the  present  secretary  of  the  Students'  Club,  who 
took  Hugh's  place  in  this  work,  supplies  this  statement  of  the  work  of  the 
students'  movement  in  the  city  : 

"The  Students' Club  is  the  Intercollegiate  branch  of  the  New  York  City 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  It  fjrew  out  of  a  movement  started  by 
Professor  Henry  Drummond  after  a  series  of  addresses  to  students,  more 
than  ten  years  ago.  Mass  meetings  and  Bible  classes  were  conducted  and 
finally  a  house  on  Lexington  Avenue  was  rented  as  a  headquarters  for 
social  and  religious  work.  Prominent  Christian  men  and  women  were 
identified  with  the  enterprise  from  its  inception,  and  through  their  con- 
tinued coCperation,  succeeding  generations  of  students  have  been  encouraged 
and  enabled  to  maintain  and  develop  the  work. 

•'The  present  headquarters  of  the  enlarged  work  is  at  129  Lexington 
Avenue,  where  are  commodious  and  attractive  parlors,  a  reading-room  and 
library,  dormitory  accommodations  for  eighteen  or  twenty  representative 
students  and  an  eating  club.  This  Christian  clubhouse  is  the  religious, 
social  and  business  centre  of  the  Intercollegiate  work  which  within  the  past 

205 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

fitted  for  this  great  opportunity.  Refined,  genial, 
affectionate,  magnetic,  overflowing  with  con- 
fidence and  joy  and  compelling  the  love  and  trust 
of  men,  keen  and  well  balanced  in  his  business 
instincts,  adaptive  to  any  class  of  men,  of  the 
most  simple,  sweet  and  outspoken  faith,  with  a 
deep  spiritual  life,  deepening  daily,  experienced 
in  personal  work  and  in  handling  men,  a  Christian 
and  a  gentleman — it  seemed  that  until  he  was  called 
to  some  yet  larger  field  this  was  the  place  for  him 
and  he  was  the  man  for  this  place.  After  he  had 
accepted  it  he  received  a  letter  from  the  "  Parson  " 
saying,  "It  will  be  hard  leaving  the  work  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  the  Lord  will  make  you  more 
fruitful  in  the  new  place  though  He  may  not  give 
you  to  see  so  much  fruit  at  the  time,  and  then 

five  years  has  spread  even  into  the  prominent  professional  colleges  of  the 
city.  Here  during  the  week  the  influence  is  that  of  a  Christian  home.  On 
Sunday  afternoons  students  from  all  p.irts  of  the  city  gather  in  the  parlors 
to  listen  to  an  address  by  some  prominent  professional  man.  This  is  fol- 
lowed by  an  informal  tea  furnished  by  the  members  of  the  Ladies'  Advisory 
Board. 

"In  nine  institutions  of  learning  well  organized  associations  are  carrying 
on  systematic  Christian  work.  The  result  is  that  not  only  has  the  general 
moral  tone  of  these  colleges  been  elevated  and  young  men  away  from  home 
influences  been  restrained  from  giving  way  to  the  pressure  of  city  tempta- 
tions, but  positive  growth  has  characterized  the  lives  of  Christian  rrien  and 
marked  changes  the  lives  of  others.  The  faculties  in  most  of  the  institutions 
have  granted  rooms  to  the  Associations  in  the  college  buildings  for  their  ex- 
clusive use.  These,  with  the  central  clubhouse,  lend  permanence  and 
dignity  to  the  work.  They  are  used  for  reading,  study,  religious  and  social 
meetings,  etc.  Among  other  attractions  are  reference  libraries,  musical  in- 
struments and  comfortable  furniture. 

"  The  strong  coSperation  of  the  city  churches  is  received.  Several  in  the 
midst  of  student  communities  have  very  promising  student  Bible  classes. 
Every  fall  hundreds  of  new  students  are  personally  visited  and  in  the  name 
of  the  churches  and  of  the  Students'  Club  receive  a  welcome  and  an  invita- 
tion to  enter  into  Christian  associations  and  activities.  Receptions  in 
churches  to  the  students  are  not  uncommon  and  every  winter  several  church 
student  mass  meetings  are  held." 

206 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

perhaps  it  is  just  His  stirring  up  the  nest  so  you 
should  not  settle  down  in  one  place.  I  would 
not  be  surprised  if  He  stirs  up  the  new  nest  also 
before  long  and  makes  you  build  another  behind 
or  between  the  Devil's  goal  posts  (/.  e.,  China)." 
But  the  next  nest  Hugh  built  was  not  on  the 
foreign  mission  field: 

As  the  marsh  hen  secretly  builds  in  the  sod 
He  built  him  his  nest  in  the  greatness  of  God. 

But  he  left  behind  him  a  sense  of  irreparable  loss  in 
the  hearts  of  those  who  even  in  the  little  contact 
they  had  had  with  him  in  connection  with  his 
anticipated  work,  had  come  to  love  him  and  to 
trust  him.     Mr.  Cannon  wrote: 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  how  attached  I  became  to  him 
during  the  short  time  we  were  acquainted.  I  do  not 
know  of  any  other  young  man  who  has  made  such  an 
impression  upon  me  and  upon  Mrs.  Cannon.  He 
was  so  enthusiastic,  and  yet  with  it  all  had  such  a 
deep  spiritual  character,  that  he  could  not  come  in 
contact  with  anybody  without  making  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  their  minds.  I  wish  I  could  show  you  the 
letters  I  have  received  from  all  our  boys  in  this  con- 
nection. At  the  reception  which  I  tendered  him  last 
spring,  he  met  nearly  all  of  our  young  men,  and  he 
seems  to  have  made  and  left  the  impression  upon 
their  minds  written  in  indelible  characters,  that  here 
was  one  youtig  ?tian  that  lived  his  Christianity  in  every 
word  and  deed." 

207 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

And  a  leader  of  the  work,  himself  a  student, 
wrote: 

"Hugh's  call  to  his  heavenly  home  has  been  the 
same  terrible  blow  to  the  students  of  New  York  City 
that  it  has  been  to  everybody.  We  felt  in  the  spring 
that  God  had  sent  him  to  us,  but,  when  we  had  the  op- 
portunity at  Northfield  to  work  with  him,  we  felt  he 
was  raised  up  for  our  work  as  was  Moses  of  old.  As 
Chairman  of  the  Bible  Study  work  here,  it  was  my 
privilege  to  be  with  him  much — and  oh  !  how  we  had 
learned  to  love  him." 

A  student  in  the  New  York  College  of  Den- 
tistry wrote: 

"  I  can  truly  say  the  sad  news  (of  his  death)  came 
home  to  me  as  if  he  had  really  been  my  own  brother. 
We  all  loved  him  and  no  one  can  take  his  place  in  our 
hearts." 

It  is  a  rare  thing  for  men  to  say  that  they  love 
a  man.  But  Hugh  won  the  love  of  men  and 
won  the  expression  of  it. 

On  March  25,  when  Hugh  first  went  over  to 
New  York  to  study  the  new  call  that  had  come 
to  him  he  wrote  in  his  diary:  "  Make  Thy  power 
perfect  in  my  weakness,  my  Father."  On  April 
3,  when  he  went  again,  it  is  written:  "Through 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  on  April  6,  while  still  there, 
"Seek  first,  and  all  shall  be  added." 

After  this  New  York  visit  he  went  to  Boston  to 

208 


Last  Months  of  Work,  in  Pennsylvania 

the  Conference  of  College  Association  presidents 
of  New  England  and  New  York.  Of  his  visit 
there,  Mr.  John  R.  Mott  who  had  charge  of  the 
Conference  writes: 

"I  called  on  Hugh  to  make  a  short  talk  on  per- 
sonal work.  I  requested  him  to  number  his  points  so 
that  the  men  could  take  notes,  as  that  was  the  plan 
of  the  Conference.  Hugh  said  that  he  would  try  to 
follow  instructions.  He  started  in  doing  so,  but  he 
had  not  spoken  one  minute  when  he  swung  loose  from 
the  notes  he  had  on  paper,  and  from  following  all 
numbers  and  headings,  in  the  real  liberty  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Seldom  have  I  ever  heard  a  man  who  im- 
pressed me  more  than  Hugh  Beaver  did  in  that  ten 
minute  speech  as  being  fairly  swept  along  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  with  His  irresistible  power.  Men  were 
deeply  moved  by  his  impassioned  appeal,  and  I  know 
of  some  men  whose  practice  has  been  permanently 
changed  as  a  result  of  it.  I  wish  that  I  could  recall 
the  illustrations  which  he  used  with  reference  to  his 
own  personal  work,  but  I  shall  not  attempt  to  do  so 
as  I  shall  not  be  able  to  do  it  accurately." 

At  this  Boston  Conference  he  wrote  in  his  diary 
on  April  8,  the  reference:  "2  Cor.  xii.  9,  10," 
and  on  Sunday,  April  1 1,  is  the  note,  "  See  Sept. 
ist.  Made  in  the  upper  room,  Boston.  Trusting 
Thee  to  work  through  me.  Ten  men."  Septem- 
ber I  St  was  the  day  he  was  to  have  begun  his 
work  in  New  York  and  in  the  space  for  that  day 
he  has  written  "New  York.  My  Lord,  1  do 
promise  to  pray,  plan  and  persevere  to  lead  at 
209 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

least  ten  men  to  accept  Thee  as  their  personal 
Saviour  during  this  year.     Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

Upon  returning  from  the  Conference  at  Boston, 
Hugh  went  to  Lancaster  to  the  meeting  of  the 
presidents  of  the  Pennsylvania  College  Associa- 
tions. In  his  preparations  for  this  conference  he 
had  urged  the  speakers  to  be  practical  and  how 
practical  he  himself  was  is  indicated  in  his  out- 
line for  his  discussion  of  the  "Missionary  Depart- 
ment." 

' '  Missionary  Department. 

/.     Importance. 

1.  Strong  convictions  as  to  needs.     We  owe  our 

existence  as  Y.  M,  C.  A.  to  the  conviction 
in  that  line  of  the  little  band  of  eleven. 

2.  Vitally  interested  in  the  cause  of  missions  be- 

cause we  are  a  College  Association.  Ad- 
vantages. Yet  we  cannot  be  broad-minded 
men  without  a  view  of  the  world-field. 

3.  College.     Valley   of    Decisions.     The    man's 

life-work  determined  there. 

4.  College  the  place  where  men  prepare  for  life. 

5.  College  men  the  strong  men.    The  men  needed 

on  the  mission  field. 
These  facts  to  aid  in  choice  of  life-work. 

6.  Because    this  is  a   Young  Men's  Association. 

Not  for  our  own  alone  but  for  young  men  of 
all  lands,  if  we  take,  as  we  profess,  Christ  for 
our  example. 

7.  College  Association  prepares  men  for  mission 

work  better  in  many  respects  than  semi- 
naries. 

210 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

8.  The  College  Association  has  a  better  chance  to 

influence  the  innuential  men  than  any  other 
agency  not  excepting  the  Church.  Reach 
men  at  a  time  of  forming  opinions. 

9.  Christ  has  told  us  to  pray.     We  cannot  pray 

intelligently  for  the  world  unless  we  study 
missions. 
10.  Christ  alone  can  save  the  world,  but  Christ 
can't  save  the  world  alone.  How  can  we  be 
loyal  to  Him  unless  we  go  to  His  help,  un- 
less we  obey  Him? 
//.     Hoio  can  missions  be  best  promoted ? 

1.  By    a    monthly    missionary    meeting.     Read 

pamphlet  No.  318. 

2.  Missionary  literature.     Up  to  date  library. 

3.  Mission  study. 

4.  Systematic  giving  to  missions. 

5.  Prayer.     Definite.     Cycle.     New. 

More    time    given     in    meeting    for    earnest 
prayer." 

Hugh  made  use  himself  of  the  Cycle  of  Prayer 
of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  for  Foreign 
Missions.  His  copy  is  worn  and  soiled  with  the 
black  coloring  from  the  inside  covers  of  his  Bible. 
The  blank  spaces  he  had  filled  up  with  such  sub- 
jects for  prayer  as  "  Presidents  of  College  Asso- 
ciations," "  Bible  Study  Work  in  College,"  "  Rail- 
road Y.  M.  C.  A,"  "National  Guard  of  Penn- 
sylvania." 

At  Lancaster  Hugh  again  wrote  in  his  diary  the 
lines: 

211 


A  Memorial  of  ii  True  Life 


"Not  my  own,  but  saved  by  Jesus 
Who  redeemed  me  by  His  blood. 
Gladly  I  accept  the  message, 
I  belong  to  Christ  the  Lord." 

At  this  Conference  and  at  Boston  Hugh  gath- 
ered some  figures  illustrative  of  the  comparative 
extent  and  development  of  the  student  work  in 
New  York  and  New  England  on  one  side  and  in 
Pennsylvania  on  the  other: 

N.  Y.  &  N.  E.        Penna. 

College  Associations, 

Men  in  College, 

Church  Membership, 

Association  Membership, 

Active  Members, 

Associate  Members, 

Conversions  during  year, 

New  Students  during  year, 

Cond.  P.  C, 

Workers'  Bible  Training  Classes 

for  year, 
In  Other  Classes  for  year. 
In  Voluntary  Bible  Classes  for 

two  months, 
English  Bible  in  Curriculum, 
No.  in  Study  of  Eng.  Bible  in 

Curriculum, 
Candidates  for  Ministry, 
Mission  Study  Classes, 

212 


71. 

44. 

28,034. 

10,306. 

12,682. 

4,988. 

5.750- 

2,390. 

4.489- 

1,920. 

1,336. 

470. 

144. 

209. 

8,020. 

2,084. 

44. 

30. 

239. 

82. 

1,766. 

1,108. 

1,643. 

965. 

25. 

19. 

1,812. 

1,505. 

646. 

425. 

121. 

8. 

Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

The  work  in  Pennsylvania  sliowed  a  dispro- 
portionately large  number  of  conversions,  and  of 
members  of  Bible  classes.  It  v^^as  on  these  things 
that  Hugh  had  laid  chief  emphasis. 

On  leaving  Lancaster  he  stopped  at  Columbia 
to  speak  at  the  Railroad  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  The  next  day  one  earnest  man 
wrote  to  him: 

"  Tlie  seed  that  Jesus  sowed  tlirough  you  yesterday 
had  fallen  on  good  ground,  and  Will  Help  men  and 
women  to  do  more  for  Jesus.  Many  Requests  Have 
Come  To  me  to-day  to  ask  You  to  Come  Back  in  the 
near  future,  not  Only  from  Railroad  men  only  but 
Business  men  of  the  town.  Arrange  to  spend  Some 
Whole  Sunday  With  Us.  The  Dear  Lord  through 
you  Has  Captured  the  People's  Hearts.  I  know  in 
that  Day  When  The  Trumpet  Shall  Sound  To  Call 
forth  our  Dead  and  we  Shall  Be  Changed  Some  one 
Will  Call  You  Blessed  for  Coming  to  Columbia.  We 
Will  Pray  much  for  You  in  Your  Work.  Just  dear 
Boy  Keep  Humble  in  Jesus  and  all  ways  Remember  it 
is  Not  of  Might  Nor  Power  But  of  His  Spirit  that 
men  are  Convicted  and  Won  to  Jesus.  As  you  go  to 
New  York,  May  you  Be  the  Light  God  is  sending  There 
to  Light  Many  of  the  College  men  to  know  Jesus  Christ. 
May  God  Bless  and  Keep  you  untill  He  comes. 

"P.  S.     Come  Back." 

Hugh  now  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  getting 
a  large  delegation  of  Pennylvania  students  to 
Northfleld  for  the  summer  conference  of  1897. 
Mr.  Mott  writes: 

213 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"  A  few  weeks  after  the  Boston  Conference  I  tried 
to  get  Hugh  to  accept  the  position  of  teacher  of  the 
normal  class  for  training  leaders  of  personal  workers' 
groups  at  the  Geneva  Conference  of  western  college 
students.  It  is  a  post  of  great  responsibility  and  of 
wonderful  possibilities.  Hugh  declined  my  urging, 
both  in  interview  and  in  letter,  saying  that  this  was 
to  be  his  '  last  year's  work  for  the  students  of  old 
Pennsy  '  and  that  he  had  a  '  great  burden  '  on  their 
behalf  which  he  could  not  possibly  delegate.  He 
then  gave  himself  with  remarkable  yet  characteristic 
enterprise  and  intensity  to  working  up  the  remark- 
able delegation  which  attended  Northfield  last  year 
from  Pennsylvania.  It  was  by  odds  the  largest  dele- 
gation which  has  ever  come  from  any  state  to  any  one 
of  our  Student  Summer  Conferences.  He  organized 
the  state  delegation  perfectly,  and  this  year's  work  has 
shown  wonderful  results  which  have  followed  from 
his  self-denying  and  devoted  efforts  on  behalf  of  the 
students  of  that  state. 

"I  was  impressed  on  my  return  from  my  tour 
around  the  world  with  the  wonderful  deepening 
which  had  taken  place  within  two  years  in  Hugh's 
life.  It  showed  itself  in  the  marked  way  in  which 
he  had  his  affections  set  on  things  above  and  not  on 
things  below.  It  showed  itself  in  his  prayer  life,  I 
really  believe  that  he  was  living  a  real  life  of  prayer. 
Time  after  time  in  interviews  and  in  meetings  when 
prayer  was  not  being  offered  audibly,  and  when 
prayer  had  not  been  called  for,  I  had  evidences  that 
he  was  giving  himself  to  prayer.  In  at  least  two  let- 
ters received  from  him  since  my  return  he  made 
touching  reference  to  his  prayers  on  my  behalf." 

He  was  urged  to  attend  the  Knoxville  Confer- 

214 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

ence  for  southern  students  but  declined  for  rea- 
sons set  forth  in  the  following  letter  to  Mr.  F.  S. 
Broci^man: 


"Bellefonte,  Pa.,  March  17th,  1897. 
"My  dear  Brock  : 

"Your  letter  of  the  loth  at  hand.  When  I 
first  read  it,  I  felt  tempted  to  write  at  once,  'No.' 
At  present  it's  simply  to  do  my  Father's  will  in  the 
matter.  I  am  going  to  be  frank  in  the  matter. 
Though  I  have  not  yet  accepted  the  call  to  New  York, 
to-day  I  feel  clear  that  that  is  where  He  wants  me,  so 
shall  write  to  them  accepting.  Now  I  want  to  give 
them  the  best  of  my  life  while  there.  My  time  will  not 
allow  me  to  do  much  outside  Pennsylvania  until  June. 
In  some  way  I  must  get  hold  of  the  men  in  New  York, 
the  problems,  etc.  I  believe  you  will  realize  in  a 
measure  how  anxious  I  am  to  have  all  the  possible 
time  I  can  get  at  North  field  for  that  reason. 

"  Secondly,  Leaving  Pennsylvania  has  not  lessened 
in  the  least  my  interest  in  the  work  there.  My  suc- 
cessor must  make  the  most  of  the  ten  days  at  the 
Conference.  I  should  do  all  in  my  power  to  aid 
him  in  becoming  acquainted  with  the  men  and  the 
field.  For  that  reason  I  do  not  feel  that  I  can  afford 
to  miss  Northfield.  I  do  not  see  how  under  any  con- 
sideration I  could  afford  to  be  later  than  Saturday 
evening  in  reaching  there.  To  do  that  I  would  miss 
too  much  of  Knoxville. 

"  Thirdly,  I  simply  am  no  teacher.  Honestly, 
Brock,  I  know  there  are  scores  of  men  who  are  not 
only  better  teachers  but  more  filled  with  a  passion 
for  men's  souls,  which  must  possess  the  personal 
worker,  than  I.  I  am  not  telling  this  to  appear  mod- 
215 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

est,  it's  simply  the  truth  and  it's  my  prayer  that  the 
men  at  Knoxville  may  have  such  a  teacher  that  the 
few  days  at  the  Conference  may  send  them  back 
liungry  to  see  men  led  to  Christ,  so  hungry  that  one 
by  one  they  will  compel  them  to  come  in.  My  case 
is  stated.  May  God  lead  you  to  see  His  will  clearly, 
as  I  pray  I  may  see  it  myself.  Studd  has  been  laid 
up  here  with  a  severe  cold  and  I  am  doing  my  best 
to  break  that  stubborn  English  will  of  his,  though  it 
seems  hopeless.  He  is  very  much  better  to-day,  and 
we  look  forward  to  going  to  Philadelphia  Friday 
night.  I  enclose  letter  from  the  Parson. 
"Faithfully, 

"Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

During  the  whole  month  of  May,  accordingly, 
Hugh  threw  himself  into  the  work  of  securing  a 
large  delegation  to  Northfield  and  leaving  a  deep 
final  spiritual  impression  upon  the  students  of  the 
state.  "1  have  outlined  a  month's  work,"  he 
wrote,  "and  if  1  am  well  enough  to  carry  it  out 
will  cover  Held  in  good  shape."  On  his  way  to 
Allegheny  College  he  wrote:  "They  had  not  de- 
cided to  send  any  one  to  Northfield  but  I  hope 
and  pray  the  Lord  may  lead  them  to  change  their 
minds.  I'll  do  what  I  can  to-night  to  help." 
The  students  of  Pennsylvania  were  very  respon- 
sive to  the  invitation  to  Northfield,  scores  of  them 
having  been  there  before.  What  sacrifices  and 
economy  they  were  prepared  for  in  order  to  go  is 
indicated  in  a  letter,  in  answer  to  some  of  Hugh's 
inquiries,  from  a  student  at  Bucknell  University: 

21G 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

"  We  paid  $20  for  two  tents.  As  there  were  nine 
of  us,  it  cost  each  of  us  $2.22.  Our  board  bill  for 
the  ten  days  was  51.36  apiece.  We  had  a  visitor  for 
several  days  who  paid  five  dollars.  Counting  this  I 
suppose  that  $1.75  each  would  be  a  fair  estimate  of 
the  cost  per  man  for  board,  making  in  all  $3.97  for 
the  total  expenses  at  Northfield  not  including  the 
registration  fee  of  $5.  The  cost  for  the  tent  included 
beds  and  blankets,  chairs,  tables,  wash  stands,  bowls 
and  pitchers,  mirrors,  lamps  and  oil.  We  had  some 
dishes  and  cooking  apparatus  along  and  made  our 
stove  out  of  bricks  and  iron.  They  furnished  us  bar- 
rels to  burn  free  of  charge.  We  took  our  turn  at 
cooking,  two  being  appointed  for  each  day.  Had 
enough  to  eat  and  somewhat  of  a  variety,  including 
canned  beef  or  other  meat,  peas,  beans,  potatoes, 
rice,  oat  meal,  eggs,  bread,  butter,  sauce  or  jellies, 
milk,  coffee,  chocolate,  rolls  and  a  few  times  water- 
melon." 

During  May  Hugh  visited  seventeen  institu- 
tions, apart  from  general  conferences,  and  his 
report  for  the  month  concludes: 

"Month  spent  principally  in  working  up  North - 
field.  Outlook  is  very  bright.  Work  in  general  is 
in  good  shape,  showing  an  advance  with  but  one  or 
two  exceptions.  Mercersburg  and  Ursinus  in  partic- 
ular have  made  great  steps  forward.  God  has  won- 
derfully blessed  the  work  done  and  the  results  of 
former  work  have  been  made  very  clear,  especially 
along  Personal  Purity  lines.  Many  men  have  come 
to  know  the  freedom  of  sons  of  God." 

That   Hugh   was  still   earnestly   pressing  the 

217 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Lite 

claims  of  the  unstained  life  will  be  indicated  by 
the  following  letter  to  him  from  the  wife  of  the 
head  of  one  of  the  most  important  institutions  in 
the  state,  written  after  his  visit  there: 

"  Short  and  hurried  as  was  j'our  visit  here  and  your 
message  to  our  lads,  it  nevertheless  left  a  deep  im- 
pression on  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard  you.  Surely 
there  is  nothing  more  inspiring  and  ennobling  than 
the  vision  of  a  young  man,  giving  his  youth  and 
vigor,  his  time  and  talents  to  the  service  of  the  King 
of  Kings — and  this — though  never  a  word  were  ut- 
tered— is  an  inspiration  to  all  who  behold  it.  .  .  . 
May  God  bless  you  in  your  work  of  pointing  men  to- 
ward a  purer  life  and  may  He  give  you  the  power  to 
show  to  those  you  come  in  contact  with,  that  it  is  not 
enough  to  keep  oneself  pure  and  unspotted  from  the 
world,  but  that  if  the  chivalry  of  their  age  and  genera- 
tion is  worth  anything  it  must  be  vigorous,  aggressive 
— to  the  '  pulling  down  of  strongholds ' — and  in  the 
protection  of  the  ignorant,  the  guarding  of  the  weak, 
the  guiding  of  the  foolish. 

"  'The  woman's  cause  is  m.in's  :  they  ride  or  sink 
Together,  dwarfed  or  Godlike,  bond  or  free." 

There  is  an  awful  fight  before  us,  but  oh  1  it  is  a 
glorious  privilege  to  wage  war  in  so  divine  a  battle, 
and  dare  we  let  our  lips  and  lives  be  silent  in  the  face 
of  such  peril  to  our  homes  and  our  nation  ? 

" '  For  never  land  long  lease  of  empire  won 

Whose  sons  sate  silent  when  base  deeds  were  done.* 

God   give    you   courage    not    to    sit    silent    but    to 

sound  a  vigorous  note  of  noble  aggressive  resistance 

218 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

against  all  that  mars  that  which  was  made  in  God's 
image  and  meant  to  be  free  and  Godlike." 

June  was  the  last  month  of  Hugh's  work  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  visited  six  colleges  and  gath- 
ered together  the  ends  of  his  work  in  preparation 
for  leaving  it.  Early  in  the  month  a  request  from 
the  faculty  of  the  Indiana  Normal  School  of 
Pennsylvania,  for  the  organization  of  an  associa- 
tion in  the  school  was  referred  to  Hugh.  When 
he  received  the  letter  from  the  State  Secretary 
telling  him  of  this  request,  he  wrote: 

' '  My  dear  Mr.  Bard  : 

"  Just  in  from  Mansfield  for  what  I  thought 
was  to  be  a  rest  until  Northfield.  I'm  glad  and  sorry 
to  hear  from  Indiana  but  of  course  I'll  go." 

The  words  "and  sorry  "  were  crossed  out  with 
the  note  added,  "I'm  weary.  That's  why  that 
went  in."  A  week  later  he  wrote,  "I  leave  for 
Indiana,  Saturday.  I  have  never  organized  an 
association.  Can  you  not  send  me  in  a  few 
words  just  what  steps  are  necessary."  What  is 
called  "organization  "  was  never  much  to  Hugh's 
taste.  For  the  "organization  "  which  consists  in 
articulating  bones  or  in  getting  other  people  to 
let  you  call  their  work  by  your  name  Hugh  had 
no  gift.  But  he  possessed  great  ability  for  that 
form  of  organization  which  consists  in  breathing 
life  into  dead  flesh  and  bones  that  they  may  live. 

219 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Having  spent  two  years  in  spiritual  impression 
and  influence  he  closed  his  work  in  the  State  by 
the  establishment  of  this  new  association.  It 
was  his  last  visit  and  his  last  service  to  the  insti- 
tutions of  Pennsylvania.  He  laid  aside  his  work 
with  the  love  of  all  the  men  who  had  come  to 
know  him  and  he  left  a  great  fragrance  behind 
him,  which  lay  sweet  upon  the  trembling  heart 
strings  of  the  students  of  the  State  he  loved. 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Harvey  who  succeeded  him  gath- 
ers up  the  impressions  he  left  upon  the  men  for 
whom  he  toiled: 

"Having  now  spent  six  months  going  over  the 
State  traversed  so  many  times  by  Hugh,  and  visiting 
the  Institutions  and  touching  the  lives  upon  whom 
the  impress  of  the  Lord's  life  in  and  through  him  is 
still  so  marked,  I  feel  that. you  would  gladly  know  the 
blessing  that  he  was  permitted  to  be  to  so  many. 

"  None  of  us  would  speak  words  of  personal  praise 
merely,  much  as  we  loved  and  honored  him,  for  we  all 
so  clearly  recognize  that  it  was  true  of  him  as  of 
Paul,  '  Nevertheless  I  live ;  yet  not  I  but  Christ 
liveth  in  me.'  Truly  like  his  Lord  when  surrounded 
by  the  multitude  'virtue  went  out  from  Him,'  for 
everywhere  his  life  was  a  benediction. 

"  It  would  be  impossible  to  give  all  the  impressions 
of  his  life  gathered  here  and  there  from  college  boys, 
professors,  railroad  boys,  city  and  town  Association 
men  and  pastors  as  I  have  met  them  over  the  State. 
Every  life  he  touched  either  by  public  address,  per- 
sonal interview  or  letter  went  away  better  because  of 
it. 

220 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

"While  he  was  a  typical  college  man,  yet  he  be- 
longed to  no  set  of  men,  for  he  was  broader  than  any. 
*  He  became  all  things  to  all  men  that  he  might  by 
all  means  save  some,'  and  yet  no  one  detected  the 
least  effort  on  his  part  for  he  seemed  naturally  to  be 
one  of  them.  In  this  State  with  its  widely  diversified 
phases  of  College  work  Hugh  seemed  to  be  equally 
fitted  for  all.  He  was  perfectly  at  home,  whether 
with  the  boys  in  normal,  preparatory  school,  college 
or  professional  school. 

"  He  was  loved  alike  by  the  colored  boys  of  Lin- 
coln and  the  Indians  of  Carlisle.  So  marked  was  the 
impression  at  Lincoln  that  they  have  resolved  to  com- 
memorate his  work  there  by  the  erection  of  a  memo- 
rial Association  building. 

"  Each  Institution  felt  that  Hugh  had  a  special  in- 
terest in  it.  The  whole  moral  and  spiritual  life  of 
some  of  our  Institutions  was  changed  as  a  result  of 
one  of  his  visits,  while  I  have  found  very  many  lives 
who  date  the  time  when  their  whole  course  was 
changed  from  a  personal  interview  with  him. 

"  He  was  always  seeking  opportunities  for  doing 
good.     He  seemed  not  to  think  of  himself. 

"  The  statements  made  by  the  boys  reveal  his  fully 
developed  character,  such  as,  his  marked  personality, 
genuine  manhood,  tender  sympathy,  unselfish  nature, 
deep  spirituality,  intense  earnestness,  sincerity,  frank- 
ness, genial  disposition,  unaffected  humility,  purity  of 
life,  love  for  Christ,  real  prayer  life,  etc. 

"As  one  said,  'Hugh  could  pray  anywhere, — sit- 
ting, standing,  kneeling,  lying  down  or  walking 
about.'  He  could  shout  with  the  boys  over  a  foot- 
ball victory  and  then  quietly  kneel  in  prayer.  In 
either  place  he  seemed  equally  earnest  and  sincere. 
With  him  there  seemed  to  be  no  dividing  line  be- 
221 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

tween  the  secular  and  the  spiritual.  There  is  one  in- 
cident and  lesson  of  his  life  which  I  cherish.  About 
a  year  ago  at  Pittston  as  we  were  being  entertained 
together,  I  frequently  heard  him  in  his  room  across 
tiie  hall,  alone  and  yet  not  alone  for  he  was  talking 
as  to  a  friend.  During  our  conversation  afterward 
he  said,  '  Harvey,  1  have  been  learning  a  new  lesson  in 
prayer.  I  like  to  walk  about  the  room  and  talk  to 
the  Lord  as  to  one  very  near.' 

"The  hymn  suggested  by  Hugh  at  the  Conference 
of  College  Association  Presidents  a  year  ago  as  their 
motto,  and  used  so  frequently  during  its  sessions,  best 
sums  up  his  life,  and  has  since  become  the  motto  of 
very  many  lives  who  were  present,  '  Not  my  own, 
but  saved  by  Jesus  who  redeemed  me  by  His  blood. 
Gladly  I  accept  the  message,  I  belong  to  Christ  the 
Lord.' 

"  Eternity  alone  can  reveal  the  lessons  and  impres- 
sions and  fruitfulness  of  a  life  so  devoted  to  the  Lord 
as  was  his.  We  all  count  it  a  privilege  to  have  known 
him,  and  while  saddened  because  of  his  short  service, 
feel  thankful  that  he  was  permitted  to  come  into  such 
close  and  helpful  relationship  with  so  large  a  student 
body  for  even  two  years." 

And  upon  older  men  as  well  as  upon  the  stu- 
dents Hugh  made  the  same  deep  impression. 
Many  who  never  before  had  spoken  openly  of 
loving  any  man  loved  him  and  found  comfort 
when  he  was  gone  in  saying  that  they  loved 
him. 

"  He  was  so  full  of  all  that  is  brightest  and  best 
in  life,"  says  one,   the  General  Secretary  in  Phila- 
222 


Last  Months  of  Work  in  Pennsylvania 

delphia,  "that  I  cannot  realize  yet  that  he  has  been 
taken  away  from  us.  There  were  few  young  men  that 
to  human  judgment  could  not  have  been  more  easily 
spared  from  the  service  of  our  country  and  of  the 
Church  on  earth  than  he.  The  loss  to  the  work  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  immeasur- 
able." 

"I  need  not  tell  you  what  a  dear  boy  he  was," 
says  another,  the  Chairman  of  the  State  Committee 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  "you  know,  but  I  loved  him 
very  much." 

"  Hugh's  was  a  pure,  inspiring  character,"  another 
writes,  "  that  will  have  an  undying  influence  on  my 
own.  He  was  the  Father's  own  sweet,  cheerful, 
trustful  son." 

"How  we  all,"  writes  another,  an  Association 
Secretary  in  a  large  town,  "in  Association  work 
shall  miss  his  outshining  face,  his  cheerful,  encourag- 
ing voice,  and  the  touch  of  his  life  that  was  wholly 
surrendered  to  the  Master.  .  .  .  May  we  all  learn 
the  lesson  from  Hugh's  life,  that  it  is  the  surrendered 
heart  and  life  that  brings  the  largest  fruitfulness  here 
and  the  greater  glory  hereafter,  for  as  he  moved 
among  us  for  those  few  short  years,  he  clearly  exem- 
plified that  the  place  of  learning  was  at  the  Master's 
feet  and  that  the  place  of  service  was  in  His  hand." 

Among  the  last  entries  in  his  little  record  book 
diary  are  these  written  during  his  last  visits  to 
Mansfield  and  Indiana: 

223 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"  Not  my  own,  my  time,  my  talent 
Freely  all  to  Christ  1  bring, 
To  be  used  in  joyful  service, 
To  the  glory  of  my  King. 

Mansfield,  June  9th,  '97,  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

"Indiana.  We  give  Thee  all  tine  glory,  my 
Fatlier." 

He  said  to  one  of  iiis  closest  friends  tliat  he 
felt  "changed"  this  last  month,  in  May  he  had 
been  greatly  discouraged  about  his  personal  life. 
He  said  that  he  often  felt  that  his  temptations 
would  overwhelm  him.  But  in  June  he  said  that 
his  temptations  seemed  to  have  been  taken  out 
of  his  life  and  that  he  felt  freer  than  he  had  ever 
felt  before. 


224 


VIII 

YOUNG  men's  conference   AT  NORTHFIELD,   1 897. 

"  Through  such  souls  alone 
God  stooping  shows  sufficient  of  His  light 
For  us  i'  the  dark  to  rise  by." 

—Browning,  The  Ring  and  the  Book,  Pompilia. 

TO    HIS    MOTHER 

"East  Northfield,  Mass.,  June  25th,  1897. 
"  Here  we  are,  all  safe  and  sound,  out  under  a  tree 
in  front  of  Marquand  enjoying  the  view  and  breeze, 
.  .  .  Found  it  very  warm  on  tiie  cars  but  feel  de- 
lightfully cool  now.  Last  night  was  most  beautiful 
on  the  boat  and  with  a  gc.od  crowd  of  fellows  we 
made  the  time  fly.  .  .  .  After  July  9th  we  (he  and 
his  younger  brother  Tom)  rather  expect  to  go  over  to 
Albany  and  thence  by  boat  to  New  York.  .  .  .  Both 
of  us  are  well  and  happy." 

to  the  same 

"East  Northfield,  Mass.,  July  i,  1897. 
"We  are  having  such  a  good  time.  Seems  to 
grow  better  each  day.  ...  I  have  a  meeting  to- 
night so  must  close  to  get  ready  for  it.  God  is  won- 
derfully present  here  in  a  way  that  makes  one  feel 
that  He  is  very  near.  The  meetings  have  been  help- 
ful and  the  best  of  feeling  exists  on  all  sides.  Penn- 
sylvania stands  first  with  at  least  171  delegates.  New 
York  second  with  97." 

225 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 


TO    A   FRIEND 

"East  Northfield,  July  2,  1897. 
"We  reached  here  safely  and  have  been  enjoying 
it  to  the  full.  To  me  it  is  by  far  the  best  conference 
1  have  ever  attended.  .  .  .  Pennsylvania  has  167 
men  here.  We  never  had  more  than  113  before. 
New  York  comes  next,  I  think,  with  about  100.  Long 
live  the  Keystone  State  !  " 

The  students  from  New  York  wished  him  to 
join  them  in  the  college  demonstrations  but  he 
said  he  could  not  "  hurrah  for  anything  but  Penn- 
sylvania." 

Hugh  did  not  take  a  very  prominent  part  in  the 
larger  meetings.  The  impression  he  left  was  al- 
together out  of  proportion  to  the  part  he  did  take. 
Mr.  Mott  speaks  of  this  in  some  recollections: 

"At  Northfield  in  connection  with  the  World's 
Student  Conference,  and  notably  at  the  morning 
conferences  on  Association  work,  the  face  of  Hugh 
shone  as  though  he  were  actually  living  on  the  mount. 
The  impression  which  will  live  longest  in  my  memory 
is  that  made  by  his  face  and  voice  and  words  one 
morning  when  I  called  on  him  at  the  close  of  one  of 
these  conferences  for  a  three  minute  speech.  There 
again,  though  in  a  much  more  marked  manner  than 
at  Boston,  he  manifested  the  perfect  liberty  of  the 
Spirit  which  reminded  me  of  the  words,  '  If  the  Son 
shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed.'  He 
was  speaking  on  a  very  difficult  subject,  that  of  purity 
among  Christian  men  ;  he  was  speaking  in  tlie  pres- 
ence of  the  most  critical  audience,  composed  not  only 
226 


Young  Men's  Conference  at  Northfield 

of  college  men  but  of  representative  students  of  twenty- 
seven  nations  and  races ;  he  was  speaking  under  a  rigid 
time  limit,  but  I  have  never  heard  a  person  in  three 
minutes  get  such  a  grip  on  an  audience  or  convey  to 
my  mind  more  strongly  the  impression  that  he  was 
a  perfectly  acceptable  instrument  being  mightily 
wielded  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

"A  number  of  the  foreign  delegates  told  me,  both 
in  this  country  and  afterward  in  England  where  I 
met  men  from  four  countries  who  had  been  at  North- 
field  last  summer,  that  Hugh  Beaver  impressed  them 
more  strongly  than  any  young  man  whom  they  met 
in  that  wonderful  concourse  of  picked  college  men ; 
and  they  referred,  as  their  conversation  showed,  not 
to  a  mere  popular  impression,  but  to  a  deeply  spir- 
itual impression.  This  to  my  mind  is  striking  testi- 
mony. Again  it  demonstrates  the  truth  that,  if 
Christ  be  really  lifted  up  in  surrendered  lives,  He 
will  draw  all  men  of  all  nations  and  races  unto  Him. 

"  The  last  time  that  I  saw  Hugh  was  at  the  close 
of  the  conferences  on  Round  Top.  I  shall  always 
associate  him  with  that  sacred  spot.  As  I  stop  to 
think  of  it  in  these  hurried  moments  when  I  am  giv- 
ing you  these  fragments  of  reminiscence,  I  do  not 
recall  a  student  whom  I  have  met  in  my  ten  years' 
work  among  college  men  who  exemplified  in  his  per- 
sonality more  completely  the  unselfish,  loyal,  loving, 
joyous,  intense  spirit  which  was  associated  with  the 
meetings  on  Round  Top." 

One  of  the  Edinburgh  University  students  who 
was  present  at  the  Conference  recalls  especially 
the  contagious  joyousness  that  marked  Hugh. 
He  was  full  of  an  overflowing  gladness.    Christ 

227 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

had  fulfilled  in  him  His  promise,  and  rivers  of 
living  water  were  springing  up  in  the  depths  of 
his  life. 

"I  had  conversation  with  him  several  times.  I 
was  greatly  struck  with  his  joyousness  in  Jesus  Christ. 

"  Everything  he  did  seemed  to  be  such  a  supreme 
delight  to  him  to  do.  His  face,  his  hand  grip,  and  his 
passionate  earnestness  of  appeal,  all  spoke  of  his  mo- 
mentary remembrance  that  he  did  all  for  the  Love  of 
his  Saviour.  Love — Love,  Love,  seemed  his  ruling 
motive,  and  all  which  with  others  would  be  merely  a 
faithful  performance  of  duty,  seemed  with  him  to  be 
illumined  by  overflowing  love. 

"  I  shall  not  forget  his  passionate  appeal  to  men  to 
let  Christ  have  full  sway  over  their  lives.  He  was 
speaking  on  purity  of  thought  and  life  and  concluded 
by  a  telling  testimony  to  tlie  fact  that  Jesus  can  keep  a 
man  from  sin,  even  of  thought  if  only  men  will  really 
submit  to  His  Gracious  Power.  Tliis  was  at  North- 
field  last  year; — just  a  few  days  before  he  was  pro- 
moted. 

"  Hearing  tlmt  he  was  to  take  on  the  City  Secreta- 
ryship in  New  York,  I  sought  him  out  almost  the  last 
day  and  asked  him  to  tell  me  about  his  future  work. 
He  gripped  my  hand  and  said  he  knew  nothing  about 
it  yet,  but  he  was  looking  to  God  to  teach  him. 

"  His  whole  bearing  was  so  full  of  deep  joy  which 
had  sure  anchorage,  it  was  infectious  to  talk  to  him. 
One's  Hope  and  Optimism  was  immediately  raised. 

"  His  was  one  of  those  winning  natures  which  do 
not  need  much  time,  before  one  is  drawn  from  ac- 
quaintance into  the  deeper  relations  of  friendship. 
None  of  us  who  heard  his  glowing  address  at  North- 
field  are  likely  to  soon  forget  it.  I  seem  to-day  to 
228 


Young  Men's  Conference  at  Northficld 

hear  those  tones  so  emphatically  earnest :  '  Men,  I 
tell  you,  Jesus  Christ  can  and  does  keep  a  fellow  from 
this  awful  sin.  ...  I  tell  you  He  is  a  real  Saviour,' 
and  we  knew  He  was  to  the  speaker.  Christ  had 
written  His  mark  on  that  forehead  ;  but  we  little 
knew  that  so  soon  he  was  to  be  taken  from  the  glori- 
ous work  that  was  opening  before  him." 

Scores  of  such  testimonies  to  Hugh's  influence 
at  this  Northfield  Conference  came  after  he  had 
passed  on  to  the  larger  life  and  the  higher  service, 
A  Princeton  man  wrote  of  "the  hundreds  of  col- 
lege men  throughout  the  country  he  had  influ- 
enced for  good."  A  Yale  graduate  wrote,  "At 
Northfield  those  of  us  who  had  not  seen  him  for 
a  year  noted  his  power  which  was  nothing  less 
than  the  power  of  Jesus  drawing  all  men  unto 
Him."'  Another  student  wrote  from  Virginia, 
"  There  was  no  one  at  Northfield  to  whom  I  was 
attracted  more  than  to  Hugh.  His  great  earnest- 
ness and  deep  spirituality  were  an  inspiration  to 
me.  I  shall  never  forget  the  way  that  he  plead 
with  the  men  to  lead  more  consecrated  lives." 
Yet  another  wrote  from  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont, of  "the  wonderfully  beautiful  life  which 
God  gave  me  the  inestimable  privilege  of  know- 
ing somewhat.  I  cannot  refrain  from  saying 
that  of  all  the  persons  I  have  ever  known  he  had 
the  personality  which  appealed  to  me  the  most. 
1  could  never  see  the  slightest  fault  in  his  whole 

229 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

character.  It  seems  to  me  that  those  who  knew 
him  long  and  closely  must  have  loved  him  very 
much  indeed."  A  Haverford  graduate  wrote, 
"I  loved  him  as  I  have  rarely  loved  men.  Who 
could  help  being  drawn  to  him  ?  He  was  manly, 
pure,  devoted  and  unselfish — a  true  disciple  of 
the  Lord  he  loved.  In  all  my  visits  to  Northfield, 
I  have  rarely  known  any  man  to  make  such  a 
spiritual  impression  upon  the  fellows  as  Hugh 
did  this  year."  While  Dr.  Arthur  T.  Pierson 
said,  "I  regarded  him  as  of  all  the  young  men  I 
have  met  at  Northfield  most  fired  with  divine 
passion  for  souls.  He  made  here  an  impression 
never  to  be  effaced." 

Another  student,  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  who  knew  Hugh  even  more  inti- 
mately, Mr.  Frank  A.  Beach,  who  had  been 
closely  associated  with  Hugh  in  the  work  in 
Philadelphia  wrote  of  his  companionship  with 
him  at  Northfield: 

"  I  loved  Hugh  as  I  would  my  own  brother  and  he 
had  upon  my  life  an  influence  greater  than  that  of 
any  other  friend.  Though  I  often  feel  that  it  catmot, 
it  must  not  be  that  he  is  gone,  yet  as  I  recall  how  in 
our  quiet  Northfield  talks  he  would  say  he  would  like 
to  go,  and  as  I  think  of  his  life  that  seemed  almost 
faultless  it  is  easier  to  say  'Thy  will  is  best.'  I  re- 
member one  morning,  when  we  were  talking  about 
being  conscious  of  the  Lord's  presence  as  we  prayed, 
Hugli  said,  '  Sometimes  I  am  so  sure  of  Christ's  pres- 
230 


Young  Men's  Conference  at  Northfield 

ence  that  I  open  my  eyes  expecting  to  see  Him  and  I 
shall  not  be  surprised  if  I  do  some  day.'  The  vision 
came  sooner  than  we  thought  and  my  desire  to  go  is 
now  stronger  than  ever,  for  there  is  no  departed 
loved  one  whom  I  so  look  forward  to  seeing  as  I  do 
toward  meeting  Hugh  again." 

Mr.  Beach  has  written  out  also  some  remin- 
iscences of  Hugh's  spiritual  life  culminating  in 
their  association  in  this  Northfield  Conference.  In 
sending  them  he  recalls  that  on  the  last  Sunday 
Hugh  thought  that  some  of  the  most  spiritual 
hymns  were  being  neglected  and  he  wrote  out  a 
list  a  copy  of  which  he  gave  to  Mr.  Moody,  as 
follows:  "120,  He  shall  reign.  115,  I'll  live  for 
Thee.  44,  Sunshine  in  My  Soul.  16,  Let  the  Sun- 
shine in.  112,  Loyalty  to  Christ.  102,  Moment 
by  Moment.  'When  the  Roll  is  called  up 
Yonder,  I'll  be  there,'  not  in  the  book."  The 
Roll-call  to  which  he  responded  was  not  long 
delayed. 

These  are  Mr.  Beach's  recollections: 

PRAYER   LIFE 

Hugh  seemed  to  pray  at  all  times,  for  all  men  and 
for  all  things.  He  said  once  in  answer  to  my  ques- 
tion, "  Do  you  pray  about  the  small  things  of  life  ?  " 
"  I  suppose  you  will  think  it  strange,  but  when  I  was 
in  college  I  used  to  pray  about  my  athletic  sports,  and 
won  as  a  result.  When  the  Pennsylvania  State  Col- 
lege played  Pennsy,  I  walked  up  and  down  the  field 
231 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

and  prayed,  while  the  fellows  played — it  was  the  only 
time  that  we  ever  scored  on  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  I  knew  that  we  would."  When  our  com- 
mon friend  Percy  was  in  training  for  the  Mott  Haven 
games,  he  often  said,  "  It  will  help  Perce  in  his 
Christian  work  if  he  takes  first  place  and  we  must 
pray  for  him."  As  soon  as  the  news  reached  us  that 
our  friend  had  won  the  long  jump  at  Mott  Haven 
Hugli  said,  slapping  me  on  the  shoulder,  "  Well 
didn't  I  tell  you  he  would  win."  At  Northfield  one 
summer  the  spiritual  tone  of  the  Conference  having 
been  plainly  affected  by  an  unspiritual  address,  Hugh 
seemed  much  weighed  down  by  the  fact  and  was 
quietly  the  means  of  inducing  a  number  of  men  to  go 
alone  and  pray  for  the  renewal  of  the  blessing  which 
God  gave  us  at  the  beginning.  He  said  that  he  felt 
that  the  cause  was  not  alone  the  speech,  but  the  lack 
of  prayer  on  the  part  of  us  men  who  were  leaders. 
One  day  as  Gilbert  was  having  an  important  conver- 
sation with  Mr.  Moody,  Hugh  and  I  turned  from  the 
platform  arm  in  arm,  and  saying,  "Let's  pray  about 
this  now,"  he  ceased  talking  with  me  and  began 
talking  to  the  Lord  as  naturally  as  to  a  visible  friend. 
Naturalness  and  sincerity,  with  implicit  faith  which 
seemed  to  me  never  to  waver,  were  the  characteris- 
tics of  Hugh's  prayers.  He  was  never  satisfied  with 
anything  but  a  definite  unmistakable  answer,  and  I 
do  not  believe  he  often  failed  to  thank  God  for  the 
answer.  He  told  me  that  at  night,  as  his  mind  was 
more  inclined  to  wander  than  during  the  day,  just 
before  he  retired  he  briefly  asked  the  Father  for  for- 
giveness for  whatever  had  grieved  Him  during  the 
day,  and  His  blessing  upon  whatever  had  been  done 
according  to  His  will,  and  commending  his  life  to 
God  he  went  to  rest.  At  one  time  when  we  were 
232 


Young  Men's  Conference  at  Northfield 

speaking  about  the  "  Consciousness  of  God's  pres- 
ence" as  we  prayed,  he  said,  "Sometimes  my  pray- 
ers seem  formal  but  at  other  times  Christ  is  so  real 
that  I  open  my  eyes  and  really  expect  to  see  Him, 
and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  I  shall  some  day."  This 
last  conversation  occurred  toward  the  close  of  the 
Northfield  Conference  in  1897,  in  the  room  which  we 
had  occupied  for  two  years,  52  Marquand,  and  were 
among  the  last  words  I  ever  heard  from  dear  Hugh. 
His  confidence  in  God's  immediate  answer  to  prayer 
was  once  shown  when  I  had  difficulty  in  quieting 
some  boisterous  fellows  in  a  meeting,  and  I  asked 
him  what  he  would  have  done  had  the  fellow  inter- 
rupted him  during  his  talk.  He  said,  "  I  should  have 
prayed  for  him  right  there  and  the  Holy  Spirit  would 
have  broken  him  down."  In  his  pocket  Bible  Hugh 
had  a  little  slip,  containing  the  names  of  a  certain 
number  of  people  for  whose  conversion  he  was  pray- 
ing ;  when  God  answered  the  prayer  he  placed  an  X 
opposite  the  name,  and  one  of  the  first  whom  God 
brought  to  himself  in  answer  to  Hugh's  prayer  was 
their  hired  man.  He  often  referred  to  this  list  and 
would  now  and  then  ask  me  to  join  with  him  in 
prayer  for  a  person,  after  he  had  told  me  all  about 
him.  Meeting  as  many  people  as  he  did,  he  was  fre- 
quently asked  to  pray  for  a  person,  and  he  told  me 
that  lest  he  should  forget,  he  always  looked  to  God 
immediately  in  answer  to  the  request.  Hugh's  cousin 
recently  said  she  believed  prayer  was  the  secret  of  his 
whole  life  and  power. 

BIBLE   STUDY 

Hugh  was   not   inclined   to  systematic  study  but 
rather  seemed  to  search  each  day  for  that  help  which 
God  might  give  him  for  the  day.     He  did  study, 
233 


A  JSIt-morial  of  a  True  Life 

however.  He  was  inclined,  when  we  walked,  or 
rode  togetlier  in  a  car,  to  be  silent  for  some  time, 
and  not  infrequently  did  one  learn  that  he  was  re- 
volving in  his  mind  some  passage.  Each  time  I  saw 
him  he  seemed  to  be  seeking  ligiit  upon  some  part  of 
God's  Word  that  was  difficult,  and  he  never  lost  an 
opportunity  of  questioning  those  who  might  be  able 
to  help  him.  He  kept  studying  and  seeking  light 
until  he  was  satisfied.  He  derived  great  comfort 
from  his  belief  that  God  would  keep  every  life  that 
was  committed  unto  Him,  and  often  referred  to 
marked  passages  in  his  pocket  Bible  such  as,  "He 
that  hath  the  Son  hath  life."  From  a  friend  he  re- 
ceived a  New  Testament  bound  with  Psalms,  Prov- 
erbs, Isaiah  and  Jeremiah.  This  he  always  carried 
with  him;  and  in  the  car,  at  the  table,  in  the  fields, 
at  every  opportunity  he  made  frequent  reference  to 
it.  The  great  decisions  of  his  life  were  very  delib- 
erately made  and  twice  God  guided  him  through 
Acts  viii.  (Philip). 

HIS    LIBERALITY 

Hugh  never  made  much  reference  to  his  gifts  and 
seldom  said  how  much  he  gave,  but  I  know  tliat  he 
often  gave  to  the  point  of  self-sacrifice.  I  remember 
how  he  told  me  several  months  after  Christmas  that 
he  was  still  in  debt  for  some  specially  generous  and 
costly  presents  he  had  given  out  of  his  love.  He 
sometimes  bought  literature  and  sent  to  fellows  in 
whom  he  had  been  interested  not  charging  it  to  the 
State  Committee. 

HIS   FRIENDSHIPS 

Hugh  had  more  friends  than  any  other  person  that 
I  have  ever  met.     All  classes  were  drawn  to  him  upon 
234 


Young  Men's  Conference  at  Northfield 

first  acquaintance,  and  their  regard  always  increased 
as  they  knew  him.  With  baseball  men  and  other 
athletes  he  was  popular,  for  he  kept  well  informed  as 
to  the  athletic  records,  and  the  standing  of  the  vari- 
ous teams.  While  in  college  he  took  some  part  and 
that  a  successful  one  in  athletics.  His  easy  manner 
made  him  at  home  anywhere;  the  fellows  in  the  city, 
not  college  men,  were  drawn  to  him  by  his  cordiality 
and  his  very  evident  genuineness.  Christian  people 
of  all  sorts  looked  up  to  him  because  of  his  earnest- 
ness. He  was  very  popular  with  his  girl  friends, 
being  full  of  fun  and  considerably  inclined  to  "jolly- 
ing," as  he  said  Studd  characterized  the  habit.  Hugh 
specially  loved  railroad  men;  at  conventions  he  did 
all  possible  to  draw  the  railroad  and  college  men  to- 
gether. He  once  told  me  of  the  man  who  had  helped 
him  most,  and  with  whom  he  most  enjoyed  to  sit 
down  and  talk  over  the  things  of  God.  He  said  he 
was  a  plain  railroad  man  who  used  to  be  one  of  the 
toughest  men  on  the  road,  but  that  now  as  he  sat  by 
his  side,  and  with  his  arm  around  him  he  seemed 
nearer  to  God  than  any  other  friend  that  he  had. 
When  he  spoke  to  our  medical  boys  he  held  their  at- 
tention as  I  have  never  seen  any  one  else  do.  The 
wildest,  roughest  fellow  at  Hahnemann  came  into 
Hugh's  meeting.  In  another  college  a  Jew  came  up 
after  Hugh  talked  on  "Personal  Purity"  and  said, 
"  I  wish  I  could  believe  in  the  Christ  you  believe  in 
for  I  need  His  help  to  keep  me  pure."  At  a  Dental 
College  a  large  number  of  men  expressed  themselves 
at  the  earnestness  which  "  the  young  fellow,"  as  they 
called  him,  showed.  Men  who  had  never  been  at 
any  other  religious  meetings  in  the  college  remember 
the  name  of  Hugh  Beaver.  When  out  at  the  Uni- 
versity among  some  of  his  athletic  friends,  Hugh 
235 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

seemed  not  to  notice  the  oaths  of  the  fellows  around 
him,  but  a  grieved  look  would  unconsciously  steal 
over  his  face.  All  men  were  confidential  with  him  ; 
they  seemed  to  feel  that  it  would  help  them  to  sliare 
their  hearts'  secrets.  More  than  once  did  he  sii  up 
until  past  midnight  talking  with  fellows  who  came  to 
his  room.  He  remembered  a  large  number  of  the 
men  whom  he  met  and  he  seldom  forgot  one  of  the 
many  who  made  a  start  for  Christ  in  his  meetings.  I 
have  known  a  very  large  number  of  those  who  were 
acquainted  with  Hugh  and  I  have  never  heard  a  criti- 
cism of  his  life  or  words. 

HIS   TALKS 

He  was  intensely  interested  in  the  subject  of  Per- 
sonal Purity  and  often  opened  his  talks  with,  "  I  speak 
as  one  who  knows  what  it  is  to  be  tempted.  I  have 
sympathy  for  the  fellow  who  is  down."  He  seemed 
to  find  it  difficult  to  avoid  referring  to  this  subject  no 
matter  what  his  topic.  He  endured  the  common 
temptations  of  every  man  himself,  though  he  did 
not  exaggerate  them.  His  talks  on  Personal  Purity 
he  often  closed  by  reciting  "Oh!  Jesus  thou  art 
standing"  with  feeling  that  brought  tears  to  his  own 
eyes  and  conviction  to  the  hearts  of  the  fellows.  An 
easy,  off-hand,  yet  dignified  manner  characterized 
his  public  speaking.  He  sometimes  had  an  outline 
of  four  or  five  points  but  as  often  spoke  without  notes, 
not  knowing  until  he  stood  upon  his  feet  what  God 
would  have  him  speak.  In  large  meetings  I  have 
known  him  to  say  he  was  not  sure  as  to  the  best  sub- 
ject, and  to  have  asked  for  a  season  of  earnest  prayer 
that  he  might  speak  the  one  message  which  God  would 
have  them  hear.  He  seemed  always  trying  to  get 
236 


Young  Men's  Conference  at  Northfield 

some  one  else  to  take  his  place  because  of  his  own 
unfitness.  He  very  frequently  urged  his  own  inability. 
His  illustrations  came  from  his  contact  with  men,  and 
he  said  he  never  tried  to  remember  them  because 
recent  ones  kept  coming  from  his  experience. 

HIS    READING 

He  read  what  he  wanted  of  a  book,  instead  of 
beginning  at  the  beginning  and  reading  to  the  end. 
He  said  he  had  received  as  much  help  from  the  selec- 
tions from  Meyer,  by  B.  Fay  Mills,  as  from  any  other 
book.  He  bought  a  considerable  number  of  these 
and  sent  them  to  the  fellows  of  the  various  colleges 
in  Pennsylvania. 


237 


IX 

YOUNG  women's  CONFERENCE  AT  NORTHFIELD,   1 897 

"All  my  heart  is  drawn  above 

My  knees  are  bow'd  in  crypt  and  shrine  : 
I  never  felt  the  kiss  of  love, 

Nor  maiden's  hand  in  mine. 
More  bounteous  aspects  on  me  beam 

Me  mightier  transports  move  and  thrill ; 
So  keep  1  fair  thro'  faith  and  prayer 
A  virgin  heart  in  work  and  will." 

— Tennyson,  Sir  Galahad. 

At  the  end  of  the  College  Men's  Conference  a 
brief  conference  of  secretaries  of  college  associa- 
tions was  held.  Hugh  spoke  at  this  meeting  on 
Prayer  and  was  intending  to  go  home  after  it, 
stopping  perhaps  for  a  few  visits  to  friends  on 
the  way.  But  he  was  pressed  to  remain  for  the 
Young  Women's  Conference  which  began  on 
July  9th,  and  though  hesitatingly,  for  he  was  very 
tired,  he  stayed. 

"  East  Northfield,  July  9th,  1897. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Bard  : 

"...   I  stay  over,  much  to  my  surprise,  to 
take  the  Training  Class  at  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association  Conference.     Girls  thick  about  here  now 
and  not  a  man  to  be  seen." 
238 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

"  East  Northfield,  July  9th,  1897. 
"Dearest  Mother  : 

"I'm  out  under  a  tree  enjoying  the  cool 
breeze,  for  the  day  is  as  hot  as  one  cares  to  endure. 
The  girls  are  here  in  force  and  your  young  son  is  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land.  .  .  .  I'll  tell  you  better 
how  I  like  it  after  a  day  or  so  of  it.  .  .  .  My  time 
I  guess  will  be  well  filled  up  and  there'll  not  be  much 
time  for  letter  writing.  .  .  .  I'll  try  to  get  home  by 
July  25,  to  stay  until  the  first  of  September.  Am 
well  and  happy.  Much  love  to  all,  especially  to  thee, 
mother  dear." 


"  East  Northfield,  July  11,  1897. 
"  My  dear  Mother  : 

"...  I  am  having  a  delightful  time. 
Could  not  be,  or  would  not  be  resting  half  so  much 
at  home.  My  class  is  quite  large,  about  150  I  guess, 
Mr.  B.  being  the  only  one  of  the  male  line  present. 
I  have  but  the  one  hour  a  day  of  teaching.  That  with 
the  time  in  getting  ready  keeps  me  from  getting  rusty. 
"The  halls  are  quiet  before  ten  and  as  breakfast 
does  not  come  until  seven-thirty  I  manage  quite  well 
with  my  sleep.  I  go  to  very  few  meetings,  none  ex- 
cept the  platform  meetings  and  Round  Top,  and  I  ex- 
pect to  cut  a  few  of  them.  The  conference  is  one 
day  longer  than  ours,  the  last  session  being  Monday 
night  instead  of  Sunday,  held  over  to  keep  the  girls 
from  breaking  the  Sabbath  by  packing  their  trunks. 
I  have  a  good  deal  of  fun  at  meals  if  they  begin  to 
compare  the  two  conferences.  ...  I  have  had  a  de- 
lightful Sabbath,  one  in  which  the  Lord  of  the  day 
has  been  very  near.  .  .  .  God  keep  thee,  little 
mother,  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand.  .  .  . 
239 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"P.  S. — July  12.  All  goes  well.  I  have  enjoyed 
my  work  so  much,  the  little  I  have  had  of  it.  The 
girls  do  very  faithful  work  and  as  my  class  grows 
larger  I  feel  more  and  more  the  great  privilege  God 
has  given  me.  We  had  such  a  good  session  to-day. 
The  Holy  Spirit  opened  the  Book  up  so  wonderfully. 
I  must  close  now." 

TO   A  FRIEND 

"July  13,  '97. 
"Please  be  much  in  prayer  that  I  may  be  kept 
from  anything  that  would  displease  Him.  I  en- 
joyed our  conference  more  than  any  I  have  ever  at- 
tended. ...  I  find  I  am  to  appear  on  the  platform 
and  have  a  little  say  to-night  so  I  think  I  had  better 
be  off  alone  with  Him  for  a  little  while.  One  thing 
more ;  dear  old  Parson  Studd  is  to  be  here  for  the  last 
three  days.  God  is  wonderfully  good  to  me.  I  am  so 
full  of  longing  to  be  like  my  Master  and  I  have  been 
so  unlike  Him,  so  selfish.  I  pray  that  He  may  for- 
give me  and  help  me  to  live  a  life  for  Him.  Please 
pray  for  me.     May  God  keep  and  bless  thee." 

*'E.  NoRTHFiELD,  July  i8th,  '98. 
"  My  dear  Little  Mother  : 

"  Another  beautiful  Sabbath  has  come  and 
thy  boy  looks  back  upon  the  best  week  of  all  his  life. 
We  have  had  wonderful  times:  the  platform  meetings 
were  not  very  strong  and  that  made  us  all  the  more 
dependent  upon  God.  I  have  never  known  anything 
like  these  last  days.  My  class  has  been  so  large  and 
the  girls  so  different  in  their  needs,  lots  of  them  not 
being  even  professed  Christians,  some  Unitarians,  etc., 
that  they  were  in  no  sliape  for  personal  work.  I  let 
the  Master  lead  the  class  and  through  it  He  led 
240 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

many  to  Himself.  It  has  been  a  great  joy  and 
privilege  during  these  afternoons  to  see  some  of  the 
strongest  girls  of  Vassar,  Smith,  etc.,  led  to  know 
Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord,  My  days  have 
been  so  full  of  personal  interviews  I  have  had  no  time 
for  letter  writing.  1  have  cut  a  good  many  meetings 
fur  my  own  sake,  and  because  1  had  no  time  to  my- 
self unless  I  did.  Studd  was  to  have  reached  us  last 
night,  but  failed  to  arrive.  Expect  him  this  A.  m. 
God  has  been  so  wonderfully  good  to  me  during  these 
days,  I  cannot  thank  Him  enough  for  keeping  me 
over  here.  .   .   . 

"Just  in  from  dinner  at  Mr.  Moody's  with  the  dear 
old  Parson ;  he  is  just  the  same  and  it  made  me  very 
happy  to  be  with  him. 

"I  have  had  some  very  sad  interviews  with  girls 
this  afternoon,  and  I  am  going  down  to  have  a  little 
time  for  prayer  with  Studd. 

"  Good-bye  little  mother,  I  am  very  full  of  joy  and 
peace.     May  He  keep  thee  and  all  the  loved  ones. 
"  Lovingly  thy  son, 

"  Hugh  McA.  Beaver." 

to  a  friend 

"  E.  Northfield,  Mass.,  July  20,  1897. 
"We  have  had  a  great  time  here  and  I'm 
mighty  sorry  to  pack  up  and  leave.  The  Training 
Class  did  not  do  much  toward  training  for  personal 
work,  but  God  used  it  so  that  they  were  made  hungry 
for  souls.  .  .  .  Take  a  good  rest  and  may  the  Lord 
of  peace  Himself  grant  you  peace  at  all  times  and  all 
ways." 

That  a  new  freedom  and  joy  of  service  had 
come  to  Hugh  his  letters  indicate,  but  they  only 
S41 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

faintly  suggest  the  anointing  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
that  came  upon  him  at  this  Conference  and  made 
his  work  there  the  opening  of  the  portals  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  to  many  college  women. 
What  he  did  is  related  in  part  in  the  following 
account  by  one  of  the  students  from  Smith  Col- 
lege who  was  in  his  class: 

"  The  members  of  the  Young  Women's  Conference 
at  Northfield,  in  July,  1897,  count  it  one  of  the 
greatest  privileges  of  their  lives  to  have  known  Hugh 
Beaver.  To  have  known  him  in  what  he  felt  to  be 
the  greatest  service  God  had  ever  given  him  to  per- 
form, in  what  those  who  love  him  realize  now  was 
the  crowning  preparation  for  the  higher  service  be- 
yond, is  to  have  received  into  one's  life  an  abiding 
source  of  spiritual  power.  To  know  him  there  was 
to  know  Jesus  Christ  as  He  is  seldom  revealed  in  any 
human  life.  No  influence  could  be  compared  with 
his  in  those  days  at  Northfield  for  beauty  or  for 
power.  That  influence  flowed  out  into  the  Confer- 
ence through  three  main  channels,  of  which  the  first 
to  be  mentioned  is  the  morning  Bible  Class. 

"This  met  for  an  hour  each  morning,  and  was 
called  a  training  class  for  personal  work.  It  was  in- 
deed such  a  training,  because  full  of  the  spirit  of  love 
without  which  personal  work  is  valueless.  But  no 
plan  of  technical  preparation  was  followed.  For  the 
first  two  sessions  a  little  pamphlet  on  personal  work 
was  used,  and  some  attempt  was  made  to  discuss 
methods.  There  was  power  present  even  then.  Still 
it  was  limited  power,  confined  within  lines  that  man's 
hand  had  drawn.  Many  of  the  young  women  be- 
fore him  not  only  had  never  brought  any  one  to  Jesus 
242 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

Christ,  but  had  never  really  come  to  Him  themselves. 
In  the  realization  of  this,  and  the  knowledge  that  a 
discussion  of  methods  would  be  useless  when  the 
motives  for  soul-winning  did  not  exist,  he  laid  aside 
any  scheme  for  the  class  which  he  might  have  had. 
From  that  moment  the  fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost  seemed 
to  fall  upon  him. 

"One  cannot  describe  his  plan  of  carrying  on  this 
class,  for  the  power  of  it  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  him- 
self had  no  plan.  Often  when  the  hour  was  over  he 
would  say,  '  Do  you  know,  I  didn't  intend  to  say 
what  I  did  this  morning.  He  just  swept  all  my  plans 
out  of  sight.'  Truly  they  were  not  the  words  of  men 
that  he  spoke  to  us  there.  Sometimes  he  would 
stand  with  hands  outstretched  and  head  thrown  back, 
his  face  all  radiant  with  the  glory  he  was  soon  to 
share  speaking  of  the  love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  of 
the  beauty  of  a  Christ-filled  life.  And  the  message 
was  as  sweet  and  tender  as  the  words  of  Jesus  must 
have  been  to  the  weary  disciples  when  He  called 
them  apart  to  rest  with  Him  when  the  day's  work 
was  done.  Or  again,  with  tightly-clasped  hands, 
and  tear-filled  eyes,  he  would  lean  forward,  speaking 
words  whose  fire  burned  home  to  every  listening 
heart. 

"  Greatly  as  God  used  him  in  those  morning  hours 
it  was  in  his  talks  with  individuals  that  his  greatest 
work  was  done.  Some  restless,  hungry-hearted  girls 
saw  in  his  face  the  peace  which  had  before  been  to 
them  nothing  but  a  name.  Some  who  had  been 
fighting  doubts  in  their  college  life  felt  in  him  a  tri- 
umphant faith  which  knew  no  question.  All  recog- 
nized in  his  strong,  buoyant  young  personality  'the 
life  more  abundant '  for  which  all  yearned.  So  they 
came  to  him.  And  through  the  long  hours  of  the 
243 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

afternoon,  in  quiet  talks  on  the  hillside,  he  led  many 
of  them,  one  by  one,  out  '  into  the  marvellous  light.' 
The  fire  which  through  him  the  Holy  Spirit  kindled 
in  scores  of  hearts  in  those  summer  days,  is  burning 
in  many  colleges  now, 

"  Truly  the  work  in  the  Bible  Class  was  great,  this 
individual  work  was  greater  still,  but  the  greatest 
work  which  he  did  at  Northfield,  and  the  source  of 
all  the  rest,  was  his  work  in  prayer.  The  surest  way 
to  judge  the  spiritual  life  of  any  man  is  not  in  his 
preaching  but  in  his  prayers.  No  one,  to  whom  has 
ever  been  granted  the  privilege  of  hearing  Hugh 
Beaver  pray,  can  doubt  the  reality  and  the  beauty  of 
his  relations  with  his  Lord.  The  prayers  which  he 
offered  in  the  Bible  Class  and  from  the  Auditorium 
platform,  are  among  the  deepest  memories  of  the 
Northfield  conference. 

"Yet  not  of  these,  but  of  his  secret  communion 
with  God  does  one  think  in  speaking  of  his  work  in 
prayer.  More  than  any  other  force  did  his  prayer 
life  shape  the  development  of  that  Conference.  Back 
of  the  speakers,  as  they  addressed  the  audiences, 
stood  the  power  of  his  prayer.  The  secret  of  the 
wonderful  hours  which  he  spent  among  men  lay  in 
the  hours  which  he  spent  alone  with  God.  For  it 
was  his  custom,  at  the  beginning  of  each  day  to 
spend  not  minutes,  but  hours  in  prayer — in  the  quiet 
of  his  room,  or  out  on  the  hillside  under  the  pines. 
Often  as  the  days  went  by,  he  spoke  of  that  week  at 
Northfield  as  the  happiest  of  his  life.  And  in  the 
next  breath  the  reason  followed — '  I  have  never  had 
so  much  time  alone  with  the  Lord  before.' 

"  This  communion  with  God  was  the  habit  of  his 
life.  Strong  and  vital  as  was  his  hold  on  this  life  of 
ours,  he  lived  in  constant  touch  with  things  unseen. 
244 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

He  spoke  of  them  always  as  simply  and  as  naturally 
as  of  anything  in  this  visible  world.  For  him  the 
appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  an  ever-pres- 
ent thought,  an  illuminating  hope.  Truly  he  lived 
*  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,'  and  was  thus  pre- 
pared for  that  'face  to  face' vision  for  which  he 
yearned  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  loving  heart." 

In  a  small  memorandum  book  Hugh  wrote 
down  after  returning  to  Bellefonte  the  outlines  of 
his  talks  to  his  class  after  abandoning  the  small 
printed  pamphlet.  They  consist  of  the  merest 
summary  of  catch  words,  such  as  "Monday; 
July  1 2th,  Importance  of  Personal  Work;  Dr. 
Gordon;  Sir  Launfal;  Billy  Moore;  Toby.  Tues- 
day, July   13th,    Incentives;     Princeton;    Indian 

Training  Class  Case;    Indif.  S ;  Jer.  iii.  36. 

Meaning  to  me.  July  14th,  No  class.  July  15, 
Qualifications;  Huntingdon;  Negro;  Myers' Paul; 

Tom  Coon;   M .     July  16,  Hindrances.  .  .  . 

July  17,  Following  up;  Peter;  Arizona;  Conwell. 
July    19,    Last    lesson;    Open    doored  to   God; 

C ;  Dream  of  Dutch;    'Coming';    W.  &  J. 

S ." 

One  member  of  the  class  preserved  these  frag- 
mentary but  fuller  notes  of  his  free,  familiar 
talk: 

On  Monday,  the  opening  morning,  in  speaking  of 
his  own  beginning  in  personal  work,  Mr.  Beaver 
said : 

245 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"I  had  never  done  any  personal  work  before.  I 
had  only  addressed  some  meetings.  I  met  an  old 
railroad  engineer  near  the  car  tracks  in  Altoona.  The 
latter  only  knew  of  me  as  having  tried  to  do  some 
little  work  for  Christ  in  addressing  meetings.  The 
old  engineer  asked  me  if  I  found  it  '  hard  to  feed 
the  sheep'?  I  had  to  admit  that  I  did  not  know 
whether  I  fed  them  much,  and  that  I  found  it  much 
more  difficult  to  feed  them  singly. 

"The  old  engineer  said  tlie  necessity  for  it  had 
been  forced  on  him  as  follows:  at  one  time  he  was 
very  much  overcome  with  the  necessity  of  doing 
something  to  help  on  Christ's  cause,  and  resolved 
that  he  would  never  let  a  day  pass,  without  speaking 
a  direct  word  for  Jesus.  He  found  it  much  easier  to 
speak  to  strangers,  than  to  his  home  acquaintances 
and  friends  who  knew  his  past  life.  Therefore  when 
his  engine  would  run  into  a  station  at  the  other  end 
of  the  line,  he  would  go  across  the  yard,  and  speak 
to  some  stranger  on  the  subject.  He  had  two  fire- 
men who  went  out  with  him  on  alternate  days,  but 
found  it  very  difficult  to  speak  to  them.  One  of 
them  was  called  'Tim.'  One  morning  the  feeling 
came  over  him  so  strongly  that  he  must  speak  to  Tim 
that  he  resolved  that  he  would  do  so.  He  came 
down  to  the  yard  at  about  four  a.  m.,  and  found 
Tim  just  firing  up.  He  found  his  courage  oozing 
out  so  fast,  that  he  just  started  in  at  the  middle, 
and  broke  out  '  Tim,  don't  you  think  that  it  is  about 
time  for  you  to  come  out  and  give  yourself  to  Jesus?  ' 
Tim  said,  'That  is  what  my  mother  down  at  the 
house  has  been  praying  for  these  last  twelve  years.  I 
left  her  praying  for  it  just  now  as  I  left  the  house.  I 
intend  to  do  so  some  time,  but  not  just  yet,  and  1 
wish  you  would  not  speak  to  me  about  it  again.' 
246 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

'  Well,'  he  said,  '  if  that  is  so,  I  will  not  speak  to  you 
again  about  it,  unless  God  impresses  it  upon  me  very 
strongly  to  do  so. 

"  '  A  week  after  that  I  pulled  out  one  morning  with 
the  other  fireman,  (Tim  being  on  the  preceding  sec- 
tion of  the  train  that  morning),  and  rounding  a  curve, 
on  the  straight  run  ahead,  I  saw,  by  the  light  of  the 
moon  which  w-as  shining,  something  dark  on  the 
track,  and  tried  to  stop  the  train  the  best  I  could. 
We  ran  by  it,  and  I  went  back  with  the  fireman  to 
the  obstruction,  and  found  by  the  side  of  the  track 
the  body  of  a  man,  which  the  other  train  had  run 
over,  with  just  a  spark  of  life  left,  which  I  saw  was 
Tim.  He  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  up  in  my  face 
and  said,  very  distinctly  "  It's  too  late,  it's  too  late," 
and  then  the  little  spark  of  life  flickered  out.' 

"  *  My  brother,  God  spare  you  ever  having  to  bear 
the  thought  of  some  one  in  your  life  to  whom  you 
might  have  spoken,  and  to  whom  you  speak  too  late.' 
Often,"  said  Mr.  Beaver,  "when  in  doubt  about 
speaking  to  some  one,  the  scene  of  the  old  engineer 
and  the  dying  fireman  whispering,  '  It's  too  late,  it's 
too  late,'  would  come  before  my  eyes. 

"  In  my  senior  year  in  college,  a  man  who  stood 
high  in  his  class,  one  of  the  strongest  men  in  his 
class,  one  whom  I  respected,  touched  me  on  the  arm 
one  day,  and  asked  me  if  I  would  come  to  his  room 
as  he  wanted  to  speak  to  me.  There  he  said  that  he 
had  long  wanted  to  speak  to  me  about  himself.  He 
confessed  himself  a  slave  to  a  demon  which  had  al- 
most overpowered  him.  Time  and  again  during  that 
conversation,  he  brought  his  clenched  fist  down  upon 
the  table,  saying  '  Beaver,  be  practical,  eternity  is 
hanging  in  the  balance,  and  I  fear  that  it  is  too  late.'  " 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  class,  Mr.  Beaver 
247 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

spoke  of  two  Princeton  students,  one  an  intellectual 
giant  in  his  class,  the  other  an  average  man  (a  pygmy 
comparatively),  and  the  latter  said,  "O,  what  a 
power  you  would  be  if  exerted  for  the  cause  of 
Christ."  This  was  all  he  said,  and  he  thought  he 
was  mighty  plucky  to  say  as  much  as  that. 

Twenty  years  later  this  giant,  in  his  work  in  a  little 
town,  told  how  it  was  he  came  to  Christ,  and  he  said 
it  was  through  that  speech. 


"Ambassador  Bayard  was  criticised  here  for  some  of 
his  speeches  in  England  because  they  were  not  in 
close  touch  with  the  home  government.  Let  us  try 
and  keep  in  close  touch  with  the  home  government." 


In  speaking  of  the  Indian  School  at  Carlisle,  Mr. 
Beaver  said  that  the  Bible  Class  for  Personal  Work 
came  in  one  by  one  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  sixteen  Indians  always  came  to  it.  He  asked 
the  leader  how  it  was  that  they  all  came  so  regularly. 
"  O,"  said  he,  "I  always  go  around  about  half-past 
three  and  call  to  each  one  in  his  tent,  Fellows,  be 
up  and  about  the  Father's  business."  "Let  us  too 
be  up  and  about  our  Father's  business." 

The  case  under  discussion  this  morning  was  one  of 
a  young  woman  who  at  one  time  had  been  a  profess- 
ing Christian  and  assisted  in  Christian  work,  but  had 
become  utterly  indifferent  to  the  entire  thing.  In 
dealing  with  it  Mr.  Beaver  said,  "  Some  verses  have 
had  such  an  influence  on  my  own  life  and  I  have 
used  them  so  frequently  that  I  do  not  feel  like  re- 
peating them,"  and  then  called  for  verses  which 
248 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

members  of  the  class  would  use  in  such  a  case.  After 
a  number  of  these  had  been  given,  Mr.  Beaver  then 
said  :  "  The  question  in  this  case  is  whether  she  had 
ever  really  been  converted  and  ever  known  the  joy  of 
Christian  work,"  and  he  then  gave  John  x.  28,  "And 
I  give  unto  them  eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never 
perish  ;  neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my 
hand";  John  vii.  17,  "If  a  man  will  do  His  will 
he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God 
or  whether  I  speak  of  myself,"  and  Mark  viii.  36, 
"  For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  should  gain  -the 
whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?" 

In  Boston,  one  not  a  Christian  stayed  to  an  inquiry 
meeting  by  request  of  a  friend.  God's  love  was  pre- 
sented to  her  by  one  of  those  in  the  room.  At  the 
close  of  the  conversation,  though  not  a  word  had 
been  spoken  on  the  subject,  she  said,  "I  don't  care 
what  you  say,  I  don't  believe  in  eternal  punishment." 
The  one  speaking  with  her  rather  lost  his  temper,  and 
said,  "  Well,  I  can't  help  what  you  believe;  I  know 
that  if  you  go  out  from  here  without  accepting  Christ, 
and  if  you  reject  that  love,  '  the  wrath  of  God  abideth 
on  you.'"  Early  next  morning,  before  he  was  up, 
she  came  to  his  house  to  say  that  she  had  not  slept  all 
night  and  that  she  could  not  let  the  day  pass  without 
peace. 

The  lesson  on  Friday  was  on  hindrances  to  personal 
work.  Mr.  Beaver  said:  "If  each  of  us  will  ask 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  show  us  what  it  is  in  our  life  keep- 
ing us  from  service.  He  will  show  it  to  us.  It  may 
not  be  a  sin  at  all.  One  man  had  an  impediment  in 
his  speech  and  he  couldn't  work.  He  asked  God  to 
remove  the  impediment.  The  impediment  is  gone, 
and  last  year  he  led  100  men  to  Christ.  Jesus 
said :  '  If  I  be  lifted  up,  I  will  draw  all  men  unto 
249 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Me.'  If  we  realize  that  it  is  not  we  who  are  to  draw 
them,  but  it  is  only  by  holding  up  Christ  that  we  are 
to  work,  this  may  aid  us." 

He  then  mentioned  conceit,  and  said:  "  Can  you 
imagine  the  Pharisee  trying  to  lead  that  poor  publican 
who  needed  help  so  much  ?  "  He  said  that  at  Prince- 
ton an  average  player  said  to  the  pitcher,  the  captain 
of  the  nine,  a  magnetic  man,  "  1  am  a  mighty  poor 
Christian  myself,  but  you  would  be  a  so  much  better 
one."     The  latter  just  broke  down  right  there. 

Under  love  of  ease  he  said  :  "  This  stands  in  the 
way  of  most." 

"In  men's  Bible  classes  I  have  asked  them  to  say 
what  stood  in  the  way  of  their  coming  to  Christ,  and 
they  replied,  *  Gambling  and  other  sins  in  the  lives 
of  professing  Christians.'  " 

In  regard  to  touching  the  lives  of  those  nearest  and 
dearest  to  us,  he  said  :  "  It  is  more  difficult  to  speak 
to  those  who  know  that  our  lives  have  inconsistencies  and 
failings  in  them.  At  one  of  my  classes,  after  speaking  of 
this  subject,  a  white-haired  woman  came  forward  at  the 
close  of  the  class,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  and  said 
that  she  had  lost  both  sons,  and  both  had  died  be- 
fore she  spoke  to  them. 

"Are  we  willing  to  touch  them? 

"Never  since  He  left  the  earth  has  He  revived  His 
work  except  by  some  human  being,  and  if  we  were 
willing  we  might  be  that  one." 

In  speaking  of  the  consciousness  of  an  inconsistent 
life,  he  mentioned  the  case  of  one  girl  (among  others) 
who  was  unwilling  to  come  to  Christ  because  of  in- 
consistencies in  the  lives  of  inconsistent  Christians. 

"I  am  very  sure  that  any  one  who  loves  Jesus 
Christ  will  draw  men  to  Him.  I  look  back  at  my 
college  days  and  know  I  did  very,  very  poorly,  and  yet, 
25U 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

after  two  years  there  a  college  man  came  to  me  and 
said  he  wanted  to  speak  to  me.  I  look  back  with 
sorrow  at  those  days  for  I  Avas  in  sin.  So  even  if 
there  is  only  a  little  of  Christ  in  us  it  will  draw  men." 

In  speaking  of  being  too  polite  to  speak  to  others 
about  their  private  matters,  he  cited  a  verse  from 
Ezekiel  :  "If  thou  warn  the  wicked  of  his  way,  to 
turn  from  it ;  if  he  do  not  turn  from  his  way  he  shall 
die  in  his  iniquity  ;  but  thou  hast  delivered  thy  soul  " 
(Ezekiel  xxxiii.  9);  and  also  the  verse  from  Acts, 
' '  There  is  none  other  name  under  Heaven  given  among 
men  whereby  we  must  be  saved"  (Acts  iv.  12). 

"  IV/ien  we  realize  what  it  means  to  go  down  with- 
out Christ,  ivill  we  not  speak  ?  ' ' 

"  If  you  say  to  me,  '  I  have  not  seen  any  one  who  is 
hungry,'  I  reply,  'Then  your  eyes  have  not  been 
opened ;   they  are  all  about  you.'  " 

"What  is  the  hindrance?  Our  unwillingness  to 
put  our  lives  in  His, — to  live  the  abiding  life  in 
Christ.  (This  is  the  secret  of  Mr.  Studd's  life  and 
power.)  " 

"  Perhaps  it  is  one  little  chamber  of  the  heart  kept 
back.  In  such  a  case  God  says,  '  If  you  cannot  trust 
Me  with  all,  do  not  trust  Me  at  all.'  Never  since 
Calvary  has  He  forced  His  way  into  that  chamber 
and  overpowered  any  man's  will." 

His  last  talk  to  his  class  was  more  carefully  re- 
ported and  was  printed  at  the  time  in  Northjield 
Echoes  with  a  few  introductory  words: 

"Northfield  was  the  last  scene  of  Hugh  Beaver's 

active  service  in  the  body,  and  those  days  were,  as  he 

said  just  before  his  departure,  his  'happiest  days  on 

earth.'    His  joy  was  the  joy  of  one  on  fire  with  love  for 

251 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

souls,  and  who  sees  those  with  whom  lie  has  been 
striving  come,  one  after  another,  into  tlie  light  and 
liberty  of  the  gospel.  In  God's  hands  Hugh  Beaver 
was  the  means  of  bringing  hundreds  of  young  women 
at  Northfield  into  closer  touch  with  God  and  into 
more  consecrated  and  zealous  devotion  to  His  serv- 
ice. The  daily  morning  Bible  class  for  the  study  of 
motives  and  methods  for  personal  work  will  ever  be 
memorable  to  the  150  young  women  who  attended 
them  as  hours  of  rich  personal  blessing,  when  all 
hearts  were  fired  with  a  new  desire  to  live  Christ 
among  men  and  to  bring  others  to  know  Him,  In  one 
of  the  morning  hours  Mr.  Beaver  said  :  '  If  we  repre- 
sent Jesus  Christ  in  our  lives  people  will  come  to  us 
to  ask  us  about  it.  If  in  these  morning  hours  we 
come  into  communion  with  Christ,  our  lives  are  going 
to  bear  the  impress  of  His  character,  and  not  by 
what  we  say  but  by  our  lives  will  people  be  drawn  to 
Him.'  And  again:  'When  we  love  those  about 
us  with  the  love  that  led  Christ  to  die  for  us,  we  can 
speak  to  them  about  Him.  If  we  long  to  do  this  work 
God  will  teach  us  how.  People  all  about  us  are 
hungry  for  the  peace  that  passeth  understanding.' 

"  None  of  the  members  of  the  Bible  class  will  ever 
forget  the  earnestness,  the  simplicity  and  entire  un- 
consciousness of  self  which  characterized  the  leader. 
He  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  and  He  spoke 
through  him  mightly. 

"  MR.   beaver's  last  HOUR  WITH   HIS  CLASS. 

"  Speaking  on  the  importance  of  the  study  of  God's 
Word,  and  of  communion  with  Him,  Mr.  Beaver  said  : 

"  '  One  of  the  great  influences  on  my  life  has  been 
through  the  railroad  men.  I  remember  one  poor  fel- 
low in  our  town  whose  life  was  wretchedly  bad;  I 
252 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

can't  think  of  any  man  that  I  have  ever  met  whom 
it  was  so  hard  to  like.  One  day  in  the  end  of  a 
baggage  car  he  told  me  that  one  time,  under 
conviction  of  sin,  he  had  gotten  up  in  a  meeting  and 
asked  the  people  to  pray  for  him.  The  minister 
hadn't  noticed  him  standing  there  and  hadn't  paid 
any  attention  to  him  ;  he  went  back  the  next  day, 
but  wasn't  touched  a  bit  by  the  sermon,  and  came  to 
believe  that  the  Spirit  had  ceased  to  strive  with  him. 
On  this  day,  utterly  miserable,  he  went  up  into  this 
baggage  car  and  got  down  on  his  knees  and  began  to 
talk  to  God.  He  said  that  when  his  mother  was  on 
earth  he  had  heard  her  say  something  about  "  peace 
that  passeth  understanding,"  and  then  it  just  swept 
over  his  life.  Sometimes  as  I  would  sit  down  by  that 
man  he  would  put  his  arm  around  me  and  say :  "I 
just  had  such  a  sweet  message  from  the  Lord  this 
morning.  I  don't  know  how  it  is  with  you  college 
people,  or  how  you  get  along  without  feeding  on 
the  Word,  but  I  know  for  Frank  Crossley  that  unless 
he  gets  a  good  grip  on  the  Lord  he  will  go  down."  I 
am  perfectly  sure  that  unless  we  get  a  grip  on  the 
Word  of  God  during  these  summer  months  the  peace 
of  God  is  going  to  leave  us.  The  nurse  of  full-grown 
souls  is  solitude,  and  it  is  when  the  Master  takes  us 
apart  a  little  while  to  rest,  and  we  get  the  clearest 
vision  of  His  face,  that  we  go  out  able  to  carry  on 
His  work  in  the  way  He  wants  us  to  carry  it  on.  If 
that  is  what  is  standing  between  you  and  Him,  have 
you  decided  that  you  are  going  to  put  time  into  the 
study  of  His  Word  ?  Some  morning  you  won't  feel  a 
bit  like  it.  I  tell  you,  my  sister,  when  you  feel  least 
like  praying,  you  need  to  pray  the  most.  May  He 
lead  us  to  that  place,  where,  trusting  Him  day  by 
day,  we  shall  learn  to  know  the  King  in  His  beauty. 
253 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

**  *  Some  day  God  is  going  to  ask  us  to  give  account 
of  our  stewardship  and  for  all  these  marvellous  days 
we  have  had  here.  He  is  going  to  ask  us  some  day  : 
"  What  use  have  you  made  of  that  talent  which  I  gave 
you?  Oh,  I  gave  you  a  mighty  privilege  in  bringing 
you  to  Northfield.  Did  you  go  down  to  the  valley 
and  lift  men  up  to  Me?  " 

"  '  May  God  forbid  that  any  of  us  in  the  eventide 
of  our  lives,  when  the  sun  is  going  down  for  the  last 
time,  and  we  are  coming  back  from  the  harvest  field 
at  His  command,  when  we  hear  that  last  call,  "  Come 
home,"  should  have  to  go  empty-handed.  May  He 
so  fill  us  with  that  life  that  we  have  been  pleading  for, 
may  His  love  so  take  possession  of  us,  that  we  will  go 
out  to  bring  in  the  sheaves.  "Be  ye  also  ready,  for 
in  an  hour  that  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of  Man 
Cometh." 


"*  It  may  be  in  the  evening, 

When  the  work  of  the  day  is  done, 
And  you  have  time  to  sit  in  the  twilight 

And  watcli  tiie  sinking  sun, 
While  the  long  bright  day  dies  slowly 

Over  the  sea, 
And  the  hour  grows  quiet  and  holy 

W^ith  thoughts  of  Me. 
While  you  hear  the  village  children 

Passing  along  the  street. 
Among  those  thronging  footsteps 

May  come  the  sound  of  Aly  feet. 
Therefore  I  tell  you,  Watch 

By  the  light  of  the  evening  star, 
When  the  room  is  growing  dusky 

As  the  clouds  afar ; 
Let  the  door  be  on  the  latch 

In  your  home, 
For  it  may  be  through  the  gloaming 

I  will  come.' 

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Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

"'Perhaps  it  is  not  intended  that  we  should 
have  very  many  days  down  here.  Let  us  realize 
that  He  has  left  us  here  that  we  might  make  use  of 
them. 

"  '  If  you  will  pardon  a  very  personal  allusion  that 
comes  to  me  now — I  do  not  feel  much  like  telling  it. 
I  do  not  believe  in  dreams,  but  in  my  college  days 
there  was  a  man  whom  they  called  one  of  the  hardest 
cases  in  college,  and  one  day  I  met  him  during  a  week 
of  prayer  going  through  the  halls,  and  I  said,  "  Dutch, 
come  into  the  meeting,"  and  Dutch  turned  on  me  and 
he  was  surprised,  and  I  coaxed  him  and  I  prayed 
silently,  and  finally  Dutch  went  in.  When  I  got  up 
to  speak  that  evening  I  saw  him  in  the  rear  of  the 
room,  broken  down  by  the  power  of  God,  in  tears, 
and  that  day,  just  as  clear  as  an  audible  voice,  the 
words  came  to  me,  "  Go  and  speak  to  Dutchy,"  but  I 
said  not  a  word  to  him.  The  next  night  he  came  of 
his  own  accord,  and  I  said,  "I  will  speak  to  him." 
As  I  went  out  a  man  put  his  arm  around  me  and  said, 
"  I  believe  God  will  give  you  Dutchy  to-night;  speak 
to  him,"  but  I  did  not. 

"  '  After  that  I  dreamed  that  the  time  came  when 
God  said,  '  You  will  not  walk  again  on  earth."  Ire- 
member  how  I  said  good-bye  to  the  nearest  on  earth. 
I  wasn't  very  sad  ;  I  was  glad  I  was  going.  I  re- 
member the  only  thing  that  touched  me  was  my 
younger  brother  crying,  and  then  I  went  home.  I 
remember  the  Master  came  to  meet  me,  and  He  said : 
"  Do  you  remember  back  in  the  old  State  how  I  asked 
you  to  ask  Dutchy  to  come  to  God  ?  and  do  you  re- 
member how  you  slighted  me  and  said  you  couldn't?" 
Tlie  Lord  said,  "  Do  you  want  to  go  back  to  bring 
him?  "  Then  I  said,  "  Yes,  God,"  and  I  Avent  back 
on  earth  to  bring  Dutchy  to  Him.  It  seemed  to  me 
255 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

that  I  couldn't  bring  him,  I  tried  so  hard,  but  he  is 
coming  now. 

"  '  Oh,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Clirist,  in  tlie  name  of 
our  King,  may  we  be  true  in  our  lives  to  Him  ;  and 
during  these  summer  months  may  we  live  so  close  to 
Him  that  His  own  life  seen  in  us  shall  draw  men  to 
Him.  I  pray  that  God  may  use  every  one  of  you  to 
His  glory.'  " 

Some  other  brief  words  of  his  to  his  class  were 
printed  subsequently  as  a  little  leaflet  for  the 
young  women: 

"But  we  all,  with  unveiled  face  reflecting  as  a 
mirror  tlie  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  transformed  into 
the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the 
Lord  the  Spirit."     2  Cor.  iii.  18. 

"And  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,"  shall 
shine  "as  the  stars  forever  and  ever."     Dan.  xii.  3. 

Mr.  Beaver's  life  while  here  exemplified  the  first — 
his  life  now  the  second.  May  this  record  of  his  last 
and  most  loving  messages  which  he  gave  to  us  at 
Northfield  bring  each  one  of  us  closer  to  the  Master 
"  whom  he  now  sees  face  to  face." 

"I  pray  God  to  make  you  a  power,  a  tremendous 
power  for  Him — not  half  but  all  for  Christ — give 
yourselves  to  Christ  now  and  the  rest  will  be  easy. 
For  He  says  in  2  Cor.  xii.  9,  '  My  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee,  for  My  power  is  made  perfect  in  weak- 
ness.'" 

Qualifications  for  power  we  find  in  John  xv.  7. 
"  If  ye  abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide  in  you,  ye 
shall  ask  what  ye  will  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you." 
256 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

John  xiii.  35.  "  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that 
ye  are  My  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another." 

John  xiv.  26.  "The  Comforter,  even  the  Holy 
Spirit,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  My  name.  He 
shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  to  your  remem- 
brance all  that  I  have  said  unto  you." 

John  xvi.  13,  14.  "  Howbeit,  when  He  the  Spirit 
of  truth  is  come,  He  shall  guide  you  into  all  truth  : 
for  He  shall  not  speak  from  Himself;  but  what 
things  soever  He  shall  hear,  these  shall  He  speak: 
and  He  shall  declare  unto  you  the  things  that  are  to 
come.  He  shall  glorify  Me  ;  for  He  shall  take  of 
Mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you." 

"  Seekest  thou  great  things  for  thyself,  seek  them 
not  " — "  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness."     Matt.  vi.  33. 

"  My  prayer  for  you  all  is,  that  you  may  so  come 
to  know  Him  that  the  great  joy  of  your  lives  may  be 
the  use  of  your  talents  in  His  service.  '  Not  my  own, 
my  time,  my  talent,  freely  all  to  Christ  I  bring,  to  be 
used  in  joyful  service  in  the  honor  of  the  King.'  " 

"  Make  me  willing,  dear  Lord,  to  be  counted  a 
fool  for  Thy  sake." 

"It  is  easy  enough  to  make  man  think  we  are 
good,  that  we  are  living  a  gloriously  consecrated  life, 
but  Father,  we  want  to  be  such  a  power  that  Thou 
wilt  think  we  are  good  and  canst  say,  '  Well  done.'  " 

2  Tim.  ii.  15.  "  Give  diligence  to  present  thyself 
approved  unto  God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to 
be  ashamed,  handling  aright  the  word  of  truth." 

"I  want  more  than  I  can  ever  express  that  you 
should  realize  that  we  pass  this  way  but  once,  that 
what  is  done  for  Christ  must  be  done  now.  Oh  ! 
may  you  never  live  to  have  any  one  say  it  is  too  late." 

"  Father,  we  would  just  draw  close  to  Thee.  Draw 
257 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

nigh  to  God  and  He  will  draw  nigh  to  thee."  James 
iv.  8. 

"  Jesus  Christ  is  able  to  save  and  to  keep.  Know 
Christ." 

"The  Lord  is  at  hand.  In  nothing  be  anxious  ; 
but  in  everything  by  prayer  and  supplications  with 
thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto 
God.  And  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  un- 
derstanding, shall  guard  your  hearts  and  your 
thoughts  in  Christ  Jesus."     Phil.  iv.  6,  7. 

Isa.  xlii.  16,  The  Lord's  "  I  will."  "  And  I  will 
bring  the  blind  by  a  way  they  know  not;  in  patlis 
that  they  know  not  will  I  lead  them  :  I  will  make 
darkness  light  before  them  ;  and  crooked  places 
straiglit.  These  things  will  I  do,  and  I  will  not  for- 
sake them." 

Isa.  xii.  2,  Our  "  I  will."  "  I  will  trust  and  not 
be  afraid." 

"O  Father,  gather  Thy  little  ones  together  that 
they  may  come  apart  and  rest  awhile  with  Thee,  safe 
in  Thy  arms." 

In  the  midst  of  all  his  earnest  spiritual  work 
he  was  still  full  of  playfulness  and  of  kindly 
little  thought  for  the  comfort  of  others.  He  in- 
sisted on  carrying  a  chair  each  evening  for  one 
of  the  older  women  to  use  at  the  open  air  meet- 
ing under  the  pines  on  the  little  hill  called  Round 
Top  which  looked  out  over  the  Connecticut  valley 
with  the  silver  thread  of  the  river  in  its  bosom 
and  the  Green  Mountains  to  the  west  growing 
dusky  and  solemn  under  the  setting  sun.  He 
was  full  of  little  courtesies  to  the  young  women, 

258 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

and  the  most  knightly  attentions,  which  were  yet 
devoid  of  all  assuming  or  distance  and  were  most 
sunny  and  sincere.  He  made  a  little  covenant 
with  two  of  them  to  see  how  much  they  could 
learn  about  prayer  in  a  year,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  they  would  meet  and  report  at  the  year's 
end.  He  was  constantly  expressing  his  apprecia- 
tion of  the  "jolly"  promises  given  to  Christians, 
though  he  only  spoke  of  them  so  to  those  whom 
he  knew  would  not  misunderstand.  To  some  of 
the  girls  over-anxious  about  their  friends  who 
were  outside  of  the  fullest  privilege  he  quoted 
Philippians  iv.  6,  adding,  "  But  you  know  I  don't 
mean  that  the  Lord  doesn't  want  us  to  agonize 
for  souls."  He  suggested  to  some  of  the  girls 
that  they  should  give  a  larger  place  to  others 
than  themselves  in  their  prayers,  and  they  noticed 
that  that  was  his  own  practice.  The  leader  of 
one  of  the  college  glee  clubs  who  came  into  his 
class  and  saw  the  radiance  of  his  face  said  as  she 
went  out,  "  1  wish  I  could  see  a  light  like  that  in 
my  brother's  face."  When  told  of  this  remark 
he  laughed  and  said  that  it  was  a  good  thing  that 
no  one  could  monopolize  it.  The  light  of  a  di- 
vine joy  played  over  his  life  and  mellowed  as  his 
life  deepened  and  drew  to  its  early  close. 

"  His  face,  his  manner,  and  above  all,  his  prayers," 
writes    one  member  of  his  class,   "showed  that  he 
lived  with  God.     And  yet  I  think  I  have  never  seen 
259 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

a  Christian  worker  who  had  such  a  whole-souled  in- 
terest in  people  and  things  around  him.  Doubtless 
the  one  was  the  cause  of  the  other.  ...  He  was 
an  indefatigable  worker.  ...  He  had  the  greatest 
desire  to  make  every  one  realize  God's  tenderness  and 
yearning  for  them.  He  told  us  this  story  one  morn- 
ing to  make  us  see  more  clearly  God's  great  and  un- 
ceasing love.  '  During  the  Civil  War  a  man  went  all 
through  the  Union  army  searching  for  his  son  and 
constantly  calling,  "John  Thompson,  your  father 
wants  you."  Finally  he  found  him  very  ill,  in  a 
hospital,  and  took  him  home.  Our  Father  is  search- 
ing everywhere  for  us  because  He  wants  to  bring  us 
to  Himself.'  One  thing  about  Mr.  Beaver's  class 
particularly  impressed  me  :  the  hymn  that  he  invari- 
ably chose  at  the  beginning  of  the  hour  was  'More 
love  to  Thee,  O  Christ !  '  I  think  there  was  not  one 
meeting  of  his  class  at  which  we  did  not  sing  that 
hymn.  It  seemed  so  strange  that  any  one  who  lived 
so  near  to  Christ  should  feel  such  need  of  more  love 
and  closer  fellowship.  I  suppose,  though,  that  it  is 
those  who  are  nearest  who  long  most  to  come  even 
nearer." 

The  conference  closed  on  Monday,  July  19th. 
His  words  at  the  farewell  meeting  were  pre- 
served with  a  brief  introduction  in  the  Northfield 
Echoes  : 

"But  Hugh  Beaver's  earnestness  was  not  manifested 
in  the  classroom  alone.  Hours  were  spent  in  personal 
conversation  with  those  who  were  seeking  light  and 
power.  His  eagerness  that  God's  power  should  be  felt 
in  the  Conference  knew  no  bounds.  He  prayed  with- 
260 


Women's  Conference  at  Northiield 

out  ceasiiig  ;  he  sought  to  have  the  subjects  presented  at 
the  platform  meetings  which  would  be  most  calculated 
to  stir  the  hearts  of  the  young  women  with  greater 
love  for  Christ  and  for  souls.  Communion  with  God 
seemed  to  be  as  natural  to  him  as  conversation  with 
men,  and  more  constant.  As  a  result,  of  course,  his 
humility  was  ever  evident.  He  could  not  be  induced 
to  make  a  platform  address,  and  he  only  consented  to 
say  a  few  words  on  the  closing  evening  of  the  Con- 
ference because  Mr.  Moody  said,  '  Well,  I'll  not  speak 
if  you  don't.'  Another  marked  characteristic  of  Mr. 
Beaver  was  his  power  in  public  prayer.  He  talked 
to  God  as  simply,  and  directly,  and  earnestly  as 
though  he  were  seeking  a  desired  blessing  from  an 
earthly  father,  and  carried  those  whose  prayers  he 
voiced  right  into  the  very  presence  of  God. 

"We  close  with  a  report  of  Mr.  Beaver's  last 
words  at  a  Northfield  gathering — his  last  public  ut- 
terance on  earth,  and  a  message  which,  a  week  later, 
was  obeyed  in  a  sense  that  no  one  imagined  at  the 
time. 

"A    PARTING    MESSAGE 

"  *  I  have  no  speech  to  make,  but  I  want  to  tell  you 
of  a  little  incident  in  my  own  life  yesterday.  I  had 
had  a  great  many  personal  interviews,  some  of  them 
somewhat  sad.  I  felt  a  bit  weary — it  is  the  end  of  a 
hard  year's  work — and  I  went  alone  with  the  Lord 
and  talked  to  Him  a  little  while.  Then  I  just  asked 
the  Lord  for  a  message  from  His  Book,  and  when  I 
opened  it — or  He  opened,  I  guess — this  is  the  mes- 
sage that  He  gave  me,  "Come  ye  yourselves  apart 
with  Me  into  a  desert  place  and  rest  awhile."  After 
the  twelve  had  been  sent  out,  and  had  been  doing 
miracles  in  the  power  of  God,  they  came  back  to 
261 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

Jesus — I  guess  they,  too,  were  tired  that  day — and 
the  Lc:)rd  said  these  words  to  them,  "Come  ye  your- 
selves apart  with  Me  into  a  desert  place  and  rest 
awhile."  I  think  that  perhaps,  after  all,  this  is  what 
we  most  need — just  to  come  apart  with  Him  and  rest. 

"  'As  I  look  into  your  faces,  some  of  them  very 
familiar  to  me  now,  I  fear  that,  after  all,  perhaps  the 
greatest  difficulty  has  been  that  we  have  been  looking 
too  much  at  ourselves;  we  have  been  seeing  too  much 
our  own  imperfections;  we  have  failed  to  look  up  to 
Him  enough. 

"  'Just  now  there  came  into  my  mind  a  little  inci- 
dent that  happened  a  little  while  ago  on  a  railroad 
train  in  Pennsylvania.  One  day  I  noticed  on  the 
seat  opposite  to  me  a  father  who  seemed  very  much 
concerned  about  his  little  son,  who  was  running  up 
and  down  the  aisle.  As  the  train  came  near  a  tunnel 
he  called  his  boy  and  said,  "It  is  going  to  be  dark 
very  soon."  The  little  fellow  looked  at  the  windows 
and  saw  the  sunshine  out  there,  and  then  he  looked 
up  into  his  father's  face  and  smiled  as  though  he 
thought  his  father  didn't  mean  it,  and  he  kept  on 
playing  in  the  aisle.  But  by  and  by,  as  we  came 
near  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel,  and  the  mountain 
loomed  up  on  every  side,  the  little  fellow  began  to 
work  his  way  along  the  aisle  until  he  came  to  where 
his  father  sat,  and  then  he  climbed  on  the  seat. 
Then  we  rushed  into  the  dark  tunnel.  I  waited  until 
we  came  out  into  the  light  and  then  I  saw  that  the 
little  fellow  had  his  arms  tight  around  the  neck  of  his 
father  and  his  face  was  buried  on  his  shoulder.  I 
thought  of  a  home  I  had  just  left  after  a  long  visit. 
The  Father  in  heaven  had  been  calling  a  certain  one 
in  that  home  to  come  closer  to  Him,  but  everything 
had  been  bright  and  that  one  had  not  heeded  the 
2G2 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

call.  Then  there  came  a  great  dark  cloud  over  that 
home,  and  a  little  high  chair  was  put  away  from  the 
table,  and  there  was  an  aching  void  in  that  one's 
life.  Then,  in  the  shadow  of  that  sorrow,  was 
learned  the  love  of  God,  the  blessedness  of  being 
near  to  Him. 

"'Oh,  may  we  not  make  it  necessary  that  some 
great  cloud  should  come  over  our  lives  before  we  go 
apart  and  rest  with  Him  a  little  while.  Some  of  us 
are  very  weary  to-night,  physically,  and  feel  that 
above  all  things  we  need  rest.  Some  may  be  dissatis- 
fied with  their  own  lives.  Oh,  come  apart  and  rest 
with  Him  a  little  while  alone,  for  never,  never  can 
we  be  transformed  into  His  image  by  looking  into  our 
own  life.  You  remember  how  Paul  puts  it,  "  But  we 
all  with  unveiled  faces  reflecting  as  a  mirror  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  are  transformed  into  the  same  image, 
from  glory  to  glory."  If  we  are  to  be  like  Christ 
it  must  be  by  just  coming  apart  to  rest  with  Him  ! 
May  we  learn  that  lesson  now  and  not  wait  until  the 
clouds  have  come.  In  the  sunshine  of  His  own  love 
let  us  learn  to  keep  very  close  to  Him  !  May  He 
help  us!'" 

This  was  Hugh's  last  service  of  his  Master, 
and  it  was  the  most  loving  and  most  fruitful 
service  of  his  short  life.  When  he  "slipped 
awa' "  scores  of  testimonies  poured  in  from 
women,  young  and  mature  as  well,  to  whom  he 
had  come  with  his  happy  radiance  and  shown 
them  Jesus.  These  were  some  of  the  letters  of 
the  teachers  and  leaders  of  the  Conference  who 
lived  with  him  in  the  same  house  at  the  Confer- 

263 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

ence  and  saw   his   life  in  the  test  of  its  daily 
routine: 

"  He  sat  next  me  at  meals,"  wrote  one.  "  It  was 
a  pleasure  to  talk  witli  him — brimming  with  fun  and 
brightness,  showing  his  sweet,  affectionate  nature  so 
unmistakably,  but  beyond  everything  else  so  earnest 
for  the  souls  of  those  who,  for  a  time,  had  been  com- 
mitted to  his  charge.  So  often,  when  we  asked  him 
to  take  some  part — to  do  something  special  in  the 
Conference,  in  such  a  matter-of-course  way,  he  would 
answer  :  '  I  don't  know  about  that ;  I  don't  know 
whether  the  Lord  wants  me  to  do  that;  I'll  see,  I'll 
let  you  know  this  afternoon.'  I  can  never  tell  you 
what  he  was  to  our  Conference — to  those  college 
girls.  I  feel  sure  you  are  going  to  hear  constantly  of 
some  of  the  blessings  he  was  used  to  bring  to  them. 
His  words  and  teaching  were  with  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  worked  with  him  in  preparing 
and  blessing  the  souls  of  those  girls.  But  I  know  his 
own  prayer  life  and  whole-hearted  allegiance  to 
Christ  was  a  living  epistle  and  object  lesson  as  great 
as  any  of  his  words  to  them.  I  am  mourning  his 
loss,  personally,  and  I  can  never  cease  to  feel  that 
our  Conference  has  been  crowned  with  a  peculiar 
sacredness  by  the  fact  that  it  was  his  last  public  labor 
of  love  for  his  Master.  Surely  he  went  home  with 
his  hands  full  of  sheaves  to  lay  at  that  Master's  feet." 

"His  nature  was  so  sweet  and  wholesome,"  wrote 
another,  "we  grew  so  fond  of  him.  As  we  said 
afterward,  it  seemed  to  us  that  we  had  known  him 
years  instead  of  weeks. 

"  Mr.  Beaver  said  after  the  first  few  lessons  he  had 
to  put  aside  notes  and  outlines  and  talk  to  the  hearts 
2G4 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

of  the  girls.  His  messages,  wliich  were  so  on  fire 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  have  sunk  so 
deep  into  their  hearts,  tliat  it  must  mean  much  fruit 
for  the  Master  during  the  coming  year  and  years.  In 
his  last  prayer  in  his  class,  he  asked,  oh  !  so  earnestly, 
that  we  might  meet  in  an  '  unbroken  circle '  at  the 
Father's  throne.  He  was  so  happy  in  the  thought  of 
seeing  the  Father  'face  to  face'  and,  as  one  of  the 
girls  wrote  me,  I  like  to  think  he  is  now  '  asking  so 
much  '  of  the  dear  Lord  Jesus  for  us." 

Another  wrote: 

"  I  know  that  Heaven  is  just  so  much  richer  to  us  all 
but  the  world  so  much  the  poorer  for  the  loss  of  a  life 
which  must  have  been  a  blessing  wherever  he  went. 
Now  his  consecration  and  sweetness  of  character  must 
impress  itself  more  deeply  as  we  dwell  on  it." 

Another,  a  well-known  medical  missionary, 
wrote: 

"  He  felt  after  the  Conference  that  it  had  been 
God's  will  for  him  to  do  that  work.  I  wonder  if  he 
had  a  premonition  that  it  really  might  be  one  of  his 
great  opportunities.  He  warned  us  against  neglect- 
ing such  and  his  sudden  death  will  put  the  seal  upon 
that  lesson  to  some  of  us.  He  was  ready  to  go  but 
how  the  world  will  grieve  for  him  !  I  did  not  know 
him  well  but  admired  him  and  loved  him  for  what  he 
was  to  us  all.  When  we  saw  him,  so  young  and  so 
attractive,  we  felt  the  dangers  of  his  position.  He 
was  such  a  good  comrade  and  so  absolutely  without 
self-consciousness  or  affectation.  He  was  enthusi- 
astically in  earnest  and  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 
265 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

His  marvellous  influence  seemed  due  but  little  to  his 
attractive  personality.  To  that  winsomeness  was 
added  an  intangible  something  that  warded  off  all 
foolish  sentimentality  and  drew  the  girls  to  him,  be- 
cause of  the  Christ  in  him.  We  sometimes  wondered 
how  the  man  in  him  was  not  spoiled  when  nearly  the 
whole  Conference  sat  at  his  feet.  It  is  clear  now. 
Like  his  Lord,  he  was  not  to  be  touched,  because  not 
yet — but  oh  !  how  soon  to  be — ascended  to  his  Father. 
What  we  felt  and  admired  was  the  radiant  likeness 
which  now  in  His  presence  satisfies  his  loving  heart. 
.  .  .  Sometimes  I  saw  his  hand  tremble  and  feared 
he  was  living  at  too  high  a  pressure,  but  after  a  day 
or  two  he  was  so  happy  in  his  conviction  that  it  was 
God's  plan  for  him  and  so  glad,  because  it  was  all 
right  with  his  mother,  that  we  could  not  really  ques- 
tion his  decision.  We  must  trust  that  it  was  truly  his 
beloved  Master's  wish  that  he  should  make  this  his 
last  sweet  public  service.  He  lived  as  seeing  one 
whom  we  do  not  always — many  of  us — see  so  clearly. 
I  cannot  tell  you  all  that  he  was  of  strength  and 
steadiness  and  inspiration  in  the  Conference.  The 
testimony  will  come  and  may  it  help  to  comfort  and 
make  more  joyful  your  hearts." 

Yet  another  wrote: 

"It  was  a  magnificent  closing  service.  I  wish 
some  of  you  had  been  there,  for  you  can  never  know 
how  clearly  and  earnestly  his  voice  rang  out  in  resist- 
less pleading  for  better  lives  and  service,  and  many 
were  broken  in  tears.  He  seemed  then  so  ready  for 
the  more  abundant,  joyous  life,  that  I  can  only  think 
of  him  to-day  as  having  stepped  over  directly  into  it 
— almost  translated." 

266 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

This  was  the  impression  he  made  on  all.  Mr. 
Delavan  L.  Pierson,  the  editor  of  the  Northfield 
Echoes,  adds  a  man's  testimony: 

"  I  never  knew  a  fellow  of  his  age  to  have  such  a 
love  for  souls  or  to  be  more  blessed  in  winning  them 
to  Christ  and  bringing  them  into  closer  fellowship 
with  Him.  His  influence  here,  both  in  his  class  and 
outside  of  it,  was  simply  wonderful  and  under  God  I 
most  heartily  believe  that  it  was  due  to  him  that  the 
young  women's  1897  conference  was  the  most  power- 
ful for  good  of  any  ever  held  here.   .   ,   . 

"Every  one  that  came  into  contact  with  Hugh 
loved  him  and  loved  his  Master  better  for  what  they 
saw  of  Christ  in  Hugh." 

And  another  wrote: 

"Very  few  of  us  have  ever  met  any  one  who  so 
beautifully  reflected  his  Master  as  did  he.  Standing 
on  the  very  threshold  of  Heaven,  he  paused  to  give 
us  his  last  message,  full  of  love  and  trust  in  his  Sav- 
iour, and  then  in  answering  the  Father's  call  'Come 
home,'  he  added  a  strange,  new  seal  to  our  lives,  an 
inspiration  to  live  more  deeply  the  true  Christian  life 
— even  as  he  did." 

Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Sangster  added  her  witness 
and  her  word  of  sympathy  for  Hugh's  mother: 

"  May  one  who  is  to  you  an  entire  stranger  come 

and  sit  by  your  side  and  mingle  her  tears  with  yours, 

over  the  loss  (to  you  and   the  world)  of  your  noble 

boy.     Not  a  loss  to  the  Master  whom  he  loved  and 

267 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

served,  for  Hugh  Beaver  has  gone  to  stand  in  His 
presence  and  there  is  higher  service  appointed  liini 
there.  I  spent  ten  bright  July  days  in  Northfield 
and  was  a  guest  at  Betsey  Aloody  Cottage  where  he 
was  also  staying.  I  saw  much  of  him  and  of  his 
beautiful  work,  and  I  have  never  in  my  life  met  a 
man  of  his  age  who  more  fully  gained  my  respect 
and  admiration.  To  have  had  such  a  son  is  a  crown 
of  rejoicing  to  a  mother.  I  am  grieving  for  and  with 
you,  but  1  think  of  the  sheaves  he  has  won  and  the 
Lord  who  has  welcomed  him  home,  and  1  cannot  but 
rejoice  for  one  whose  course  has  been  so  splendid  and 
whose  reward  has  so  early  been  given." 

But  perhaps  none  of  these  could  know  so  well 
the  depth  of  the  work  done  by  the  Spirit  of  God 
through  Hugh  as  the  young  women  themselves. 
One  of  these  had  given  to  him  on  July  i6,  this 
note :  "1  have  given  it  all  up — my  life  for  self — 
all  to  Christ.  I  feel  a  joy  beyond  words  but  oh, 
pray  for  me  that  I  may  not  fail,  that  I  may  not 
look  back — that  1  may  be  strengthened."  And 
this  same  girl  wrote  later: 

"  I  went  up  to  Northfield — a  delegate  from  my  col- 
lege to  the  Young  Woman's  Christian  Association 
Conference, — a  girl  whose  sole  ambition  in  life  was 
to  become  known  to  the  world — to  become  great 
through  herself  and  for  her  own  glory.  I  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Church  since  a  child  and  considered 
myself  a  Christian,  but  even  my  good  works  were 
bent  to  one  end — self  glory.  But  there  at  Northfield 
it  was  all  changed.  There,  as  I  sat  in  Mr.  Beaver's 
268 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

class — a  college  man  as  I  am  a  college  woman — wlio 
must  have  known  tlie  temptation  of  personal  ambition 
— and  heard  him  tell  of  his  Christ  and  of  the  infinite 
love  of  the  Father  who  has  for  us  gifts  far  above  any 
that  we  could  ask  or  plan  for  ourselves — if  we  only 
let  Him  plan  for  us — 1  saw  it  all — the  folly  and  self- 
ishness of  my  life.  As  in  a  vision  I  saw  your  son's 
Christ  and  He  became  mine.  Now  I  live  for  Him 
and  oh  !  the  sweetness  and  the  beauty  of  this  life.  I 
have  never  known  anything  like  it." 

Other  members  of  Hugh's  class  also  saw  there 
the  great  vision : 

"I  cannot  be  thankful  enough  that  the  Lord  per- 
mitted me  to  know  Mr.  Beaver  and  to  be  in  his  Per- 
sonal Workers'  Class.  I  went  into  it  hoping  to  fnid 
why,  in  my  seven  years  of  professedly  Christian  life, 
I  had  not  been  able  to  lead  a  soul  to  Christ;  and  the 
Lord  used  Mr.  Beaver  to  show  me  that  my  own  soul 
was  not  entirely  the  Lord's  and  my  life  had  never 
been  fully  surrendered.  That  hour  was  the  most 
blessed  of  my  life,  when  I  gave  up  everything  to  the 
Lord." 

"  I  am  so  thankful  that  I  was  permitted  to  come 
under  the  direct  influence  of  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Bea- 
ver. What  a  blessing  he  was  in  the  world  !  Do  you 
remember  that  among  his  last  words  at  the  last  Bible 
Class  meeting  were  *  Be  ye,  therefore,  ready,  for  at 
an  hour  when  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  Man  cometh  '  ? 
Surely  no  one  was  more  ready  than  he.  I  feel  as  if 
something  had  gone  out  of  my  life,  such  a  strong  im- 
pression did  he  make  upon  me.  Never  shall  I  forget 
the  way  he  shook  hands  with  me  that  last  night,  when 
2U9 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 


my  voice  almost   failed  me  as  I  tried  to  tell  him  all 
that  the  class  had  meant." 


"  There  is  so  much  joy  about  this  too.  I  just  want 
to  sing  sometimes,  when  I  think  of  how  happy  he  is, 
resting  with  Jesus,  and  of  all  the  sheaves  he  was  able 
to  bring  with  him — and  then  tears  come  to  my  eyes 
as  I  remember  him,  so  sweet  and  so  strong,  so  full  of 
the  Spirit  of  Christ.  Shall  you  ever  forget  how  he 
stood  before  us  at  that  morning  class,  his  hands 
reaching  out  to  us,  his  mouth  with  its  beautiful  smile, 
and  the  tears  in  his  eyes,  pleading  with  us  to  work 
for  our  Master  ? ' ' 

"  I  think  we  must  all  feel  the  same  about  it : — the 
wonderful  help  and  inspiration  his  life  was  to  us  all, 
especially  so  now  since  he  is  gone ;  the  joy  that  we 
ought  to  feel  that  he  so  soon  could  come  into  the 
presence  of  the  Master  whom  he  so  deeply  loved  and 
served,  and  perhaps  most  of  all,  what  his  death  has 
meant.  When  I  first  heard  that  he  had  gone,  the 
sorrow  and  sadness  of  it  almost  overwhelmed  me,  but 
that  long  since  has  passed  away,  and  in  its  place  has 
come  the  most  satisfying  peace  I  ever  experienced. 
Tiie  holy  memory  of  his  life  must  be  a  lifelong  in- 
spiration. How  much  we  have  to  be  thankful  for 
that  we  were  allowed  to  know  him  so  well." 

"  Another  wrote  that  his  life  had  made  her  feel  as 
never  before  something  of  what  Christ's  own  young 
manhood  might  have  been  and  I  have  felt  that  too.  I 
certainly  never  knew  any  one  whose  life  was  so  hid 
in  Christ  as  his.  I  don't  believe  I  ever  fully  realized 
what  that  meant,  until  I  knew  him." 
270 


Women's  Conference  at  Northfield 

During  the  months  that  have  passed  since  this 
conference  closed  and  Hugh's  life  ended,  the  in- 
fluence he  exerted  has  gone  on.  Such  testimonies 
as  these  have  come  to  those  who  had  invited  him 
to  do  this  work  at  Northfield: 

"It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  tell  you  the 
wonderful  influence  that  came  into  my  life  through 
Mr.  Beaver's  Bible  class." 

"  I  pray  that  the  hundreds  who  were  blessed  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  tlirough  him,  may  be  filled  with  the  same 
overflowing  Spirit  that  was  his." 

"  It  was  the  spirit  of  Mr.  Beaver's  whole  life  in  its 
absolute  consecration  and  in  its  passionate  devotion 
to  the  Master  whom  he  served,  more  than  what  he 
said  that  has  influenced  me  and  has  been  the  greatest 
inspiration." 

"I  am  more  and  more  thankful  every  moment  for 
those  days  at  Northfield.  I  came  to  know  and  to  see 
through  Mr.  Beaver's  Bible  class,  the  possibilities  of  a 
young  consecrated  life.  What  a  tremendous  power 
he  was." 

"It  is  just  a  month  ago  to-day  since  the  Lord 
Jesus  showed  us  girls  at  Northfield,  in  such  a  wonder- 
ful way.  His  power  to  answer  prayer.  Oh,  I  pray 
that  he  may  keep  us  so  wholly  His  own  that  He  can 
use  us  in  whatever  way  He  will  to  bring  our  college 
girls  the  blessing  they  need." 

"I  have  come  to  realize  that  the  life  with  Christ 
of  which  Mr.  Beaver  gave  us  a  vision  at  Northfield  is 
271 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

the  only  true  life.  'Thou  shalt  keep  him  in  perfect 
peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee.'  It  is  the  '  per- 
fect peace '  that  I  have  come  to  want." 

"Mr.  Beaver's  last  public  messages  were  to  us 
girls  at  Northfield.  The  responsibility  seems  some- 
thing tremendous,  but  we  must  trust,  and  may  God 
give  each  one  of  His  listeners  the  strength  to  do  His 
will  gladly  and  with  the  joy  which  was  Mr.  Beaver's. 
All  the  chief  things  I  remember  of  his  sayings,  were 
exhortations  to  watchful,  earnest  work.  My  ears  ring 
with  '  We  pass  this  way  but  once ;  let  us  pray  the 
Father  constantly,  "Lest  we  forget,  lest  we  for- 
get.'"" 

The  belief  expressed  by  Mrs.  Dwight  L. 
Moody  has  been  vindicated: 

"I  believe  that  the  good  that  Hugh  accomplished 
in  Northfield  the  last  few  days  he  was  here  will  never 
be  fully  known  in  time.  His  work  is  still  going  on, 
for  many  lives  we  feel  sure  were  impressed  by  contact 
with  him  and  his  death  does  not  bring  his  work  to  a 
close.  His  words  are  still  ringing  in  the  ears  of  many 
and  the  happy,  earnest  face  still  speaks  of  the  fullness 
of  blessing  that  his  Master  had  given  to  hwi  and  that 
he  urged  so  many  young  people  to  receive." 


272 


X 


"THE   FAIR,    SWEET   MORN   AWAKES 

"  He  confessed,  he  says, 
Many  a  dying  person,  never  one 
So  sweet  and  true  and  pure  and  beautiful, 
A  good  man  !  " 
— Browning,  The  Ring  and  the  Book,  Caponsacchi. 

"  Good-night,  sweet  prince, 
And  flights  of  angels  sing  thee  to  thy  rest." 

— Shaltespeare,  Hamlet,  Act  K.,  Scene  IF. 

"  I  REMEMBER,"  said  oiie  of  the  workers  at  the 
Young  Women's  Conference,  "and  indeed  have 
thought  of  it  several  times  since,  a  remark  he 
made  to  me  just  before  he  left  Northfield.  I  had 
said  that  I  did  hope  that  he  would  soon  be  well 
and  strong  again  and  would  be  none  the  worse 
for  attending  our  conference.  He  replied,  '  Well, 
1  shall  never  be  sorry  that  1  stayed.  It  is  the  best 
conference  1  ever  attended  and,  if  my  work  is 
ended,  I  am  ready  to  go! '  " 

Very  happy  and  very  weary  Hugh  came  home 
from  Northfield  to  Bellefonte.  "1  was  so  tired 
after  reaching  home  that  I  left  all  my  mail  go  for 
a  few  days,"  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Bard  on  July  27th, 
but  he  offered  to  go  to  Harrisburg  to  discuss  the 
question  of  the  right  man  as  his  successor.     As 

273 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

soon  as  he  was  settled  at  home  he  took  up  his 
morning  Bible  studies,  having  procured  a  new 
book  in  which  to  write  the  resuhs  of  his  study. 
Only  three  studies  were  written  in  this  new 
book.  The  first  on  Monday,  July  26,  was  upon 
John  i.  1-18,  and  closes  with  the  prayer,  "We 
thank  Thee,  Father,  that  though  we  cannot 
understand  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  we  have 
received  Thy  Son  and  know  by  the  witness  of 
Thy  Spirit  that  we  are  sons  of  Thine."  The 
second  study  was  on  the  following  morning  on 
Luke's  Gospel  and  closes  with  this  prayer, 
"  Father,  we  thank  Thee  for  a  Gospel  that  gives 
us  full  knowledge  of  the  certainty  of  these 
blessed  truths  (of  Christ's  life).  Grant  that  they 
may  have  a  greater  place  in  our  lives  and  that  He 
who  is  the  Way  and  the  Truth  may  become  more 
and  more  to  us  through  the  study  of  His  life.  In 
His  Name  we  ask  it.  Amen."  The  last  study 
was  on  July  28th,  on  the  Two  Genealogies.  The 
last  words  written  in  the  book  are  the  closing 
prayer  of  this  study,  "We  rejoice,  our  Father, 
that  though  men  may  stumble  over  the  line  of 
descent  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  know  Him  to  be 
Thy  Son  and  in  and  through  Him  we  have  eternal 
life.  Help  us  to  live  more  fully  in  His  life,  hid 
with  Him  in  Thee.  We  have  great  boldness  for 
we  come  asking  it  In  His  Name.  Amen." 
The  fragrance  of  another  life  lay  on  Hugh  these 

274 


"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes " 

days.  The  mercy  of  Immanuel  was  expanding 
to  an  ocean  fullness  before  him  and  his  eyes 
looked  away  with  a  new  wistfulness  to  the  land 
that  is  afar  off  and  to  the  King  in  His  beauty. 
One  of  his  closest  friends  recalls  some  of  his 
ways  and  of  the  thoughts  he  expressed  during 
this  last  week: 

"He  said  over  to  me  time  and  again,  '/  am 
changed.'  'I  know  my  sins  have  been  forgiven, 
and  things  that  have  been  a  temptation  and  terrible 
weakness  in  my  life  have  all  gone.'  I  asked  him  if 
he  thought  they  could  return  after  he  had  recovered 
from  the  present  influence  of  the  conferences — his 
answer  was  a  decided  'No.  I  never  expect  them  to 
return,  I  am  changed.' 

"On  our  last  drive  together  he  had  been  telling  me 
of  the  work  and  classes  at  Northfield  and  of  a  num- 
ber of  the  personal  interviews  with  troubled  souls. 
With  no  special  reference  to  the  preceding  thoughts, 
he  turned  to  me  with  such  an  earnest  look  and  asked 
me  if  I  thought  any  one  on  earth  had  ever  seen  the 
Lord's  face  while  still  on  earth  since  the  time  of  the 
Disciples.  In  reply  to  my  answer  he  said  with  more 
feeling  in  his  manner  and  words  than  I  can  ever  re- 
peat to  any  one — '/  do,'  and  after  driving  on  for 
quite  a  distance  in  silence  he  added,  '  If  I  ever 
should  see  the  Lord's  face  before  I  die,  which  I  be- 
lieve I  shall,  I  could  never  mention  it  to  any  one,  not 
even  the  one  I  loved  best  on  this  earth.'  Something 
in  his  words,  voice  and  face  made  me  feel  that  he  had 
had  an  experience  that  he  could  not  reveal  to  anyone. 
Later  on  during  the  drive  he  looked  up  into  Heaven 
with  so  much  joy  in  his  face  and  said,  '  I  do  not  know 
275 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

why  it  is,  whether  it  is  because  I  am  tired  and  worn 
out  or  not,  but  sometimes  I  feel  that  it  will  not  be  very 
long  before  I  am  witli  my  Master.'  And  again  he 
told  me  that  often  when  he  prayed  he  was  surprised 
not  to  see  his  Master's  face  on  opening  his  eyes,  he 
felt  so  near  Him. 

"  Knowing  him  as  he  said  I  did,  better  than  any  one 
else,  I  feel  it  might  be  helpful  to  others  who  are 
working  for  the  Lord  to  know  that  Hugh's  life  was 
not  free  from  severe  temptations  and  vveaknesses,  and 
that  it  was  only  through  the  grace  of  our  Lord  and 
Hugh's  unflinching  faith  in  the  cleansing  through 
His  blood  that  he  was  able  to  live  the  beautiful  life 
he  did  in  Christ.  His  struggles  and  battles  were 
numerous,  hard  and  not  always  victorious  ones,  but 
as  he  said  from  the  first  of  June,  1897,  there  was  a 
change,  and  what  had  seemed  to  him  impossible  to 
conquer  had  faded  out  of  his  life.  Just  before  he  left 
me  on  that  last  drive  he  repeated  that  little  piece  of 
poetry :  '  It  may  be  at  Morn,'  and  on  looking  back 
over  those  few  days  there  were  so  many  things  he  said 
that  have  led  me  to  believe  that  he  had  a  feeling  that 
perhaps  he  would  not  be  here  long.  The  last  words 
he  said  to  me  were  that  he  prayed  the  Lord  to  keep 
me  until  we  met  again. 

"  He  told  me  his  Bible  reading  wasanother  thing  to 
him  and  that  for  the  moments  he  had  spent  in  prayer 
in  the  last  few  years  he  had  spent  hours  in  the  last 
few  weeks.  He  spoke  of  the  joy  in  prayer  at  NoFth- 
field.  That  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  rejoiced 
when  called  upon  to  pray,  for  he  felt  so  near  his 
Lord  and  so  full  of  praise  that  it  was  hard  for  him  to 
be  quiet.  On  his  return  from  Northfield  he  always 
endeavored  to  be  alone  at  twilight  for  a  short  time 
with  his  Master." 

276 


"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes " 

Hugh  had  come  home  from  Northfield  more 
weary  than  he  thought.  He  did  not  make  any 
complaint,  but  in  a  few  days  appendicitis  de- 
veloped, of  which  as  was  afterward  learned,  he 
had  had  unheeded  premonitions.  It  ran  its 
course  very  rapidly,  and  he  suffered  greatly  but 
with  the  same  joyful  cheeriness  which  had 
marked  all  his  life.  He  felt  that  it  was  the  end 
drawing  near  and  his  thoughts  were  of  his  mother 
and  the  grief  his  death  would  be  to  her.  He  told 
some  of  his  dearest  girl  friends,  "If  I  go  home 
before  mother  does  you  must  go  to  her  and  com- 
fort her  all  you  can."  The  day  before  the  last  he 
said  to  his  father,  "  If  1  am  to  go  home  this  time 
I  hope  it  will  be  soon.  I  would  love  to  go,  but  I 
am  afraid  it  will  be  too  hard  for  dear  little  mother." 
He  strove  in  every  way  to  prevent  the  sight  of 
his  suffering  from  paining  others.  It  was  not 
necessary  to  strive  long.  His  disease  ran  its 
course  so  swiftly  that  in  spite  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished medical  care  and  attention  the  end 
came  on  August  2,  and  he  slipped  away  out  of 
our  bondage  into  God's  liberty,  out  of  our  dark- 
ness into  His  marvellous  light.  So  Sir  Galahad 
found  at  last  the  Holy  Grail. 

Among  the  first  messages  that  came  was  a 
telegram  from  Northfield  from  Mr.  Moody:  "All 
Northfield  greatly  moved.  His  influence  touched 
every  one.     Only  Eternity  will  reveal  all  the  good 

277 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

he  did."  On  the  same  day  on  which  Hugh's  body 
was  laid  away  for  its  rest  at  Bellefonte  a  me- 
morial service  was  held  at  Northfield.  Mr.  Moody 
spoke,  as  one  who  was  present"  wrote: 

"With  all  the  love  and  pathos  of  a  father  and 
said  he  had  known  no  other  such  young  man,  and 
that  no  other  visitors  to  Northfield  had  left  such  im- 
pressions here  as  Hugh  and  Professor  Drummond." 

Mrs.  Moody  wrote  out  Mr.  Moody's  simple 
words : 

"Seldom  has  a  young  man  crossed  my  path  who 
made  such  an  impression  on  me  as  Hugh  Beaver. 

"With  his  earnest  spirit,  he  had  such  a  grasp  of 
Bible  truths  that  I  felt  I  would  like  to  secure  his  aid 
at  Mt.  Hermon  School,  in  teaching  the  Bible,  but 
when  I  spoke  to  him  of  it  he  felt  he  could  not  do  it. 

"Frequently  during  the  Young  Women's  Conven- 
tion, where  he  conducted  one  of  the  Bible  classes,  he 
came  to  me  and  asked  if  I  would  not  preach  on  cer- 
tain topics,  as  he  thought  that  I  would  answer  some 
of  the  difficulties  that  had  risen  in  the  minds  of  some 
of  the  students  and  that  they  had  brought  up,  as  he 
had  talked  and  prayed  with  them.  When  I  preached 
on  these  subjects  that  he  was  so  anxious  about,  I 
could  see  that  he  was  there,  perhaps  in  a  back  seat, 
but  his  bowed  head  as  I  spoke  assured  me  that  he  was 
praying  that  the  message  might  go  home,  and  do  its 
work. 

"  I  tried  to  get  Mr.  Beaver  to  stay  over  to  the  next 
Convention,  but  he  said  he  must  get  home  and  see 

•The  Rev.  Teunis  S.  Hamlin,  D.  D.,  of  Washington. 

278 


"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes " 

his  mother  who  was  not  well.  I  could  urge  no  longer 
and  we  said  good-bye  !  Little  did  I  think  that  in 
ten  days  I  should  receive  a  telegram  telling  me  of 
Hugh  Beaver's  death,  or  that  he  had  gone  to  his  re- 
ward. 

"  I  felt  we  could  ill  afford  to  lose  such  a  young  man 
when  the  need  is  so  urgent  now  for  such.  I  cannot 
understand  it,  except  that  the  Lord  had  another  place 
of  higher  service  for  him  and  so  called  him.  May 
his  mantle  fall  on  thousands  !  " 

The  Rev.  Dr.  R.  A.  Torrey  spoke  as  follows: 

"L  Hugh  Beaver  made  a  deeper  impression  upon 
me  than  any  other  young  man  that  I  ever  met.  That 
which  impressed  me  most  of  all  was  his  absorbing  and 
consuming  love  for  souls.  Whenever  I  was  to  speak 
at  the  Conferences,  he  would  come  to  me  beforehand 
and  ask  what  my  subject  was,  and  when  I  told  him 
he  would  say  to  me,  in  an  earnest  and  almost  dis- 
tressed way,  '  Are  you  not  going  to  tell  them,  some- 
time, how  to  win  souls  to  Christ?'  Time  and  again 
I  heard,  in  one  way  and  another,  of  his  going  here 
and  there  and  spending  hours  trying  to  lead  some 
one  to  Christ. 

"The  second  thing  about  him  that  impressed  me 
was  his  remarkable  gift  of  prayer.  One  night  I  heard 
him  offer,  in  this  building,  a  prayer  that  moved  me 
and  helped  me  as  very  few  prayers  ever  have. 

"  TJie  third  thing  that  impressed  me  was  his  rare 
humility.  He  always  tried  to  keep  in  the  back- 
ground. It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  could  be  pre- 
vailed upon  to  speak  or  pray.  On  one  occasion  I 
was  very  anxious  that  he  should  lead  in  prayer  before 
I  spoke.  He  insisted  that  this  one  or  that  one  could 
279 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

do  it  so  much  better  than  he,  and  only  consented, 
finally,  because  I  would  have  no  one  but  him. 

"II.  There  is  one  more  thought  that  I  wish  to 
give  you  to-day.  Hugh  Beaver  is  not  dead.  'Jesus 
Christ  hath  abolished  death  and  hath  brought  life  and 
immortality  to  light  through  the  Gospel.'  What  we 
call  death  is  simply  a  departure  to  be  with  Christ, 
which  is  very  far  better.  Our  brother  has  completed 
his  work  and  entered  into  rest  early,  but,  to-day,  he 
has  entered  into  a  life  far  more  abundant  and  glorious 
than  he  knew  here  among  men." 

And  then  the  service  closed  with  the  hymn 
Hugh  had  used  so  constantly  at  Northfield: 

"More  love  to  Thee,  O  Christ, 

More  love  to  Thee! 
Hear  Thou  the  prayer  I  make 

On  bended  knee; 
This  is  my  earnest  plea 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee, 

More  love  to  Thee. 

"Once  earthly  joy  I  craved, 

Sought  peace  and  rest; 
Now  Thee  alone  I  seek 

Give  what  is  best: 
This  all  my  prayer  shall  be 
More  love,  O  Christ  to  Thee, 

More  love  to  Thee! 

"  Let  sorrow  do  its  work 
Send  grief  and  pain; 
Sweet  are  Thy  messengers 

Sweet  their  refrain, 
When  they  can  sing  with  me, 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee, 
More  love  to  Thee. 
280 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

"Then  shall  my  latest  breath 

Whisper  Thy  praise; 
This  be  the  parting  cry 

My  heart  shall  raise, 
This  still  its  prayer  shall  be 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee, 

More  love  to  Thee." 

At  the  funeral  service  in  Beliefonte,  Hugh's 
pastor,  the  Rev.  William  Laurie,  D.  D.,  recalled 
some  of  the  characteristics  of  the  sweet  life  that 
had  grown  suddenly  full  and  glorious: 

•'  And  the  one  that  is  just  gone,  how  he  has  been 
honored  here  !  Hardly  seven  years  since  he  professed 
his  faith  in  Christ.  I  remember  as  yesterday,  when 
I  received  him  here  into  the  Church.  Eleventh  of 
October,  if  I  remember,  1890.  And  how  much  he 
has  done  in  that  time  !  Naturally  we  all  know  what 
he  was,  and  I  hardly  need  to  tell  you.  Manly — was 
he  not  that?  You  never  could  think  he  would  do  a 
mean,  unmanly  thing.  Energetic — he  was  so  full  of 
it  that  he  simply  wore  himself  out.  He  did  not  take 
the  measure  of  his  own  strength,  when  he  was  to 
work  for  God  and  for  man.  Conscientious — another 
one  of  the  characteristics  as  clearly  marked  as  the 
others.  What  is  right  ?  What  is  wrong  ?  What 
oui^ht  I  to  do  ?  and  the  ought  controlled.  And  then 
with  a  wide,  kindly,  loving  heart,  going  out  and  out; 
taking  in  all  that  needed  him,  all  that  could  be 
reached.  And  he  was  so  thoughtful  of  others.  In 
these  days  of  sickness  he  would  not  have  his  mother 
see  the  pain,  when  it  would  wring  his  heart  and  write 
itself  on  his  face.  And,  when  he  approached  people 
in  his  own  kind  way,  there  was  a  whole-heartedness 
about  him  that  won  hearts.  The  congregation  here 
281 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

to-day  tells  the  story  of  hearts  that  were  won.  The 
Lord  Jesus  gave  the  usual,  when  He  said,  'A  prophet 
is  not  without  honor,  save  in  his  own  country  and  his 
own  house,'  but  this  is  one  of  the  exceptions.  One 
of  the  hardest  places  a  man  can  speak  in,  is  the  church 
in  which  he  grew  up ;  but,  when  Hugh  Beaver  was  to 
speak  in  his  own  church,  many  would  gather ;  every- 
body was  drawn  ;  he  was  loved  and  honored  in  his 
own  home,  in  his  own  church,  in  his  own  community, 
and  we  see  it  here  to-day.  And  he  was  a  ready 
speaker.  Not  what  the  world  would  say  eloquent. 
It  was  a  different  kind  of  eloquence — eloquent,  and 
yet  not.  It  was  an  eloquence  that  never  thought 
about  eloquence ;  it  was  an  eloquence  that  had  some- 
thing to  say  and  spoke  it  right  to  the  heart  and  never 
thought  about  itself — never  thought  about  how  it 
would  affect  him,  but  how  to  reach  hearts.  Living 
so  near  to  Christ  as  he  surely  did,  there  was  a  mar- 
vellous spiritual  power.  In  old  days  they  used  to  call 
it  unction  ;  it  was  a  something  that  somehow  touched 
the  old  and  touched  the  young.  Little  boys  in  this 
community  I  have  been  told,  since  he  was  taken, 
would  say,  '  If  Hugh  Beaver  is  to  speak  at  the  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  every  Sabbath,  I  want  to  go  every  time 
and  take  a  front  seat.'  The  children  were  touched. 
They  felt  the  power ;  and  what  was  it  ?  It  was  the 
spiritual  power  of  a  good  man,  a  consecrated  man. 
Another  thing  about  his  speaking  was  good  sense. 
Sometimes  you  hear  people  making  fine  speeches,  but 
they  spoil  it  with  something  that  is  unwise.  I  have 
heard  him  many  a  time  and  I  never  heard  him  use  an 
extravagant  expression.  It  was  always  marked  by 
good  sense.  It  was  also  always  direct.  It  was  from 
the  heart ;  and  it  was  to  the  heart. 

****** 
282 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

"In  one  of  tlie  last  weeks  of  his  life,  let  me  give 
you  a  few  sentences  that  he  wrote  to  a  friend.  He 
seemed  to  be  ripening  for  the  home  in  the  heavens. 
Near  the  close  of  the  Young  Women's  Conference, 
he  writes,  '  Another  beautiful  Sabbath  has  come  and 
I  look  back  upon  the  best  week  of  all  my  life.'  What 
a  thing  to  write  !  He  did  not  know  that  it  was  about 
the  last  week.  '  We  have  had  wonderful  times.'  He 
did  not  know  that  he  was  in  the  vestibule  of  heaven. 
'  Unfavorable  circumstances  made  me  all  the  more 
dependent  upon  God.'  There  is  where  his  power  lay. 
Dependence  upon  God  !  Feeling  that  he  was  noth- 
ing ;  that  he  could  do  nothing ;  that  all  he  could  be 
was  God's  instrument  to  do  whatever  He  wanted,  and 
he  was  ready  to  be  that.  Another  sentence.  '  I  have 
never  known  anything  like  these  last  days.'  No,  he 
never  did,  but  he  knows  something  now  far  more 
wonderful.  Never  known  anything  like  that !  What 
a  privilege  it  was  for  those  that  were  with  him  in  these 
last  days,  when  the  saint  was  nearly  fit  for  the  home. 
He  goes  on,  '  My  class  has  been  so  large  and  the 
girls  so  different  in  their  needs  that  I  hardly  knew 
how  to  deal  with  them,  so  I  just  left  the  Master  to 
lead  the  class  and  through  it  He  led  many  to  Him- 
self.' Nothing  about  himself.  The  Master  was  do- 
ing everything.  He  was  only  the  tool  and  his  Mas- 
ter the  hand  that  wielded  it;  His  was  all  the  glory. 
In  one  of  these  last  days  a  mother  came  to  him  and 
said,  '  Mr.  Beaver,  I  want  you  to  talk  to  my  daughter. 
She  is  not  in  the  kingdom  yet ;  I  want  you  to  talk  to 
her.'  'Oh,'  he  said,  'I  cannot  do  that;  I  never 
force  a  conversation  on  that  subject.  If  she  would 
like  to  see  me,  I  would  be  glad  to  talk  with  her.' 
When  the  mother  insisted  he  said,  '  Do  you  believe 
in  prayer?'  and,  when  she  answered,  yes,  he  said, 
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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

'  Well,  let  us  pray  about  it,  and  I  will  go  to  the  hotel 
and  wait  on  the  porch  ;  if  God  wants  me  to  meet  her, 
she  will  come  to  me  there.'  He  went  there  and  he 
hardly  reached  the  place  till  the  young  lady  came  up 
to  him  and  said,  '  I  want  to  have  a  personal  talk 
with  you.'  Then  and  there  she  found  the  Saviour. 
After  the  meetings  closed,  people  would  insist  on 
talking  with  him  about  their  spiritual  difficulties, 
until,  as  he  wrote,  'I  have  had  to  cut  a  good  many 
meetings  for  my  own  sake  and  because  I  had  no  time 
to  myself,  unless  I  did.'  " 

Mr.  S.  M.  Bard,  the  general  secretary  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, whom  Hugh  had  been  wont  to  call  "  Gen- 
eral," because  to  him  he  made  his  reports  and 
from  him  received  his  directions,  spoke  for  the 
young  men  of  the  state. 

"The  keen  edge  of  this  affliction  strikes  so  deeply 
into  my  own  heart,  that  I  had  much  rather  sit  silent 
with  you,  with  tear-stained  face,  than  to  speak — and 
yet,  if  word  of  mine  will  bring  one  whit  of  glory  to 
his  Lord,  I  gladly  unite  my  voice  with  these  others 
over  our  dear  departed  friend. 

"It  has  been  my  privilege  during  the  two  years 
just  past  to  see  more  of  Hugh's  life  perhaps  than  any 
of  you  save  his  own  kin.  You  of  Bellefonte  knew  his 
life  in  this  community,  how  he  knew  all  alike  and 
had  as  genuine  a  greeting  for  the  smallest  school 
urchin,  as  for  the  men  of  his  own  circle,  if  he  knew 
any  circle  that  did  not  include  all. 

"In  the  field  of  work  to  which  he  was  called  of 
God,  the  College  work  of  our  State,  his  life  was 
284 


"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes " 

centred.  He  lived  only  for  others.  A  burning  zeal 
to  bring  glory  to  his  Lord  characterized  all  his  work. 
1  cannot  begin  to  tell  you  what  I  know  of  his  influ- 
ence with  the  great  student  body  of  our  State.  His 
visit  to  each  institution  was  like  a  benediction,  and 
at  his  going,  he  left  behind  always,  the  Christian 
student  filled  with  new  zeal  for  service,  and  very  fre- 
quently, others,  who  through  his  efforts,  for  the  first 
time  acknowledged  Jesus  as  Lord. 

"  The  very  last  letter  in  from  the  college  field,  one 
received  just  a  few  days  ago,  bore  one  of  the  bright- 
est testimonials  concerning  a  recent  visit  made  them 
by  Hugh.  It  was  from  a  member  of  the  faculty  who 
spoke  of  the  great  power  of  this  young  life — no  not 
of  his  life — but  of  the  Holy  Ghost  who  ruled  it,  and 
manifested  himself  in  power,  as  Hugh  touched  the 
students  of  that  institution.  He  was  as  intense,  as  he 
was  enthusiastic,  and  usually  carried  with  him  to  the 
end  of  his  purpose  those  with  whom  he  mingled. 
Thus  he  could  easily  lead  to  Northfield,  student  dele- 
gations double  those  of  any  other  State  in  the  Union. 

"  We  who  knew  him  well,  were  impressed  with  his 
ability  to  adapt  himself  to  men  of  a// classes.  It  was 
hardly  adaptation.  He  seemed  naturally  to  he  of  the 
class  with  whom  he  mingled.  '  Made  all  things  to  all 
men  that  I  might  by  all  means  save  some.' 

"  What  a  chasm  seems  to  lie  between  the  student 
and  the  railroad  man  !  When  Hugh  was  with  stu- 
dents he  was  one  of  them  in  rollicking  college  song, 
in  intelligent  discussion,  in  the  room  prayer  group, 
in  Gospel  meeting,  or  in  personal  work  with  his  arm 
over  the  shoulder  of  his  fellow  student,  as  he  pointed 
out  to  him  the  way  of  Life. 

"With  railroad  men  he  was  one  of  them;  his 
smile  as  joyous  as  theirs ;  his  hand  clasp,  as  the 
28.5 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

man's  who  twists  the  brake ;  his  voice  as  loud  as 
theirs  in  'When  the  roll  is  called  up  yonder,  I'll  be 
there ' ;  his  prayer  as  fervent  and  deep-pleading  as 
theirs;  so  that  they  had  grown  to  look  upon  him 
and  love  him  as  one  of  their  own.  Only  to-day  a 
railroad  man  assured  me  that  Hugh  never  seemed 
more  at  home  than  with  railroad  men.  One  of  the 
trials  in  our  work  was  to  write  '  We  cannot  let  him 
come  '  in  answer  to  appeals  from  the  Railroad  Associ- 
ations for  Hugh's  services  in  their  Gospel  meetings. 

"  But  the  power  of  our  brother's  life  was  not  and 
could  not  be  confined  within  the  limits  even  of  our 
great  Commonwealth.  I  read  from  a  letter  at  hand 
from  Mr.  Richard  C.  Morse,  General  Secretary  of 
the  International  Committee  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association.  '  How  can  I  ever  tell  you  the 
inexpressible  pain  and  shock  of  that  dreadful  tele- 
gram. I  cannot  fully  realize  the  awfulness  of  the  be- 
reavement it  conveys.  It  seems  as  if  I  had  never 
realized  how  Hugh  had  entered  into  my  life,  and 
thoughts  concerning  the  best  welfare  of  our  work — 
the  great  work  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associ- 
ation of  America.  Wliat  a  beautifully  lovely  life  it 
has  been,  with  the  clear  shining  of  his  Master's  face 
in  it  all — a  reflection  of  the  King  in  His  beauty,  of  the 
One  altogether  lovely.' 

"  And  now  in  closing — you  have  thought  him  gone 
— not  so.  He  lives  and  will  live  on  and  on  and  the 
power  and  influence  of  his  young  life  will  widen  and 
deepen  as  the  days  go  by,  and  his  absence  in  the 
body  ceases  to  be  noticed.  But  I  sorrow  with  you 
that  we  shall  no  more  see  his  almost  always  smiling 
face,  hear  his  voice,  or  feel  his  hand  clasp. 

"  His  time  of  service  here  was  very  brief;  less  by 
a  full  year  than  his  Master's  before  him.  But  we  are 
286 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

so  glad  for  even  that  brief  stewardship.  Had  it  been 
our  privilege  to  choose  for  him,  could  we  have  con- 
ceived a  walk  so  full  of  opportunity,  so  endless  in  its 
influences,  whose  every  step  brought  him  in  touch 
with  those  who  have  gone,  or  are  to  go  out  from 
these  great  centres  of  education  to  mingle  in  every 
one  of  life's  callings,  multiplying  t7idejinitely  i\\t  good 
wrought  in  their  own  lives  by  our  brother  Hugh? 

"The  crown  was  quickly  won,  but  its  luster  shall 
be  '  As  the  stars  forever  and  ever.'  " 

And  the  Rev.  Charles  Wood,  D.  D.,  of  Phila- 
delphia, a  friend  of  young  men,  suggested  some 
of  the  lessons  from  Hugh's  life  to  each  other 
young  man. 

"  It  was  the  glory  of  our  friend  who  has  gone  from 
us,  not  that  he  believed  in  Heaven,  for  we  all  believe 
that,  but  that  he  gave  his  whole  life  to  bringing 
Heaven  down  to  this  earth, — in  trying  to  make  men 
see  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  very  near  us.  It 
needs  only  a  step  and  we  shall  find  ourselves  in  it. 
How  much  he  did  you  have  heard  already  to-day. 
Telegrams  have  come  from  the  Northfield  Conference 
on  the  one  side  and  the  Carlisle  Indian  School  on  the 
other,  and  messages  from  a  great  multitude  of  hearts. 
It  is  my  privilege  to  read  you  just  a  sentence  or  two 
from  the  letter  of  one  who  shared  with  Dr.  Laurie 
the  privilege  of  being  his  pastor.  He  speaks  at 
length  of  the  beauty  of  this  life,  and  he  says  at  the 
close:  'Yours  is  the  blessed  hope  of  reunion.  Life 
is  more  solemn;  death  is  less  repulsive;  Heaven  is 
■  nearer  ;  the  Divine  promises  are  more  personal ;  the 
Lord  Jesus  is  more  real  than  ever  before.' 
287 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"This  town  of  yours  is  a  better  town  to  live  in. 
This  world  of  ours  is  a  better  world  to  live  in,  be- 
cause Hugh  Beaver  was  here  for  twenty-four  years. 
A  shorter  ministry  it  was  said  than  that  of  his  Master, 
but,  as  some  one  else  has  said,  '  he  went  like  his 
Master  in  the  full  flush  of  his  strong  manhood.'  We 
cannot  but  surmise  as  to  the  future.  We  cannot  but 
think  of  our  loss,  when  we  pause  for  a  moment  to 
contemplate  what  he  might  have  done,  had  the  little 
more  than  one-score  years  lengthened  themselves  out 
into  the  three-score  years  and  ten.  In  twenty  years 
more  he  might  have  been  as  famous  as  that  Scotch 
Professor  who  was  laid  in  his  grave  only  a  little  while 
ago  amid  the  tears  of  all  the  English  speaking  stu- 
dents of  the  world.  Who  can  put  a  limit  to  what 
such  a  man,  with  such  gifts  and,  thank  God  !  with 
such  consecration,  might  have  done? 

"  His  theology  was  as  simple  as  that  of  the  great 
Dr.  Alexander  of  Princeton  who  said  on  his  dying 
bed  :  '  All  my  theological  knowledge  can  be  summed 
up  in  one  word,  Jesus.'  And  all  the  philosophy  of 
Hugh  Beaver's  life  was  to  do  what  he  believed  this 
Jesus  wished  him  to  do;  and  all  the  hope  of  his  life 
was  that  by  every  truth  he  uttered  and  by  every  act 
he  did  he  might  make  his  Master  seem  more  beauti- 
ful to  his  fellow  men.  The  whole  tone  of  his  life  was 
totally  alien  from  that  of  the  mediaeval  saints.  He 
had  no  longing  for  the  cell,  no  wish  to  spend  his 
days  in  prayer  from  which  there  was  to  be  no  out- 
come. He  went  out  into  the  world.  He  mingled 
with  men.  He  was  a  man,  like  his  Master,  amongst 
them.  He  was  just  as  full  of  eagerness  as  they  were 
for  all  their  sports  and  for  all  their  recreations,  he 
was  a  little  more  eager  than  they  were  for  study  and 
for  prayer. 

288 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

"He  came  with  a  rich  and  abundant  and  over- 
flowing message  of  life.  It  was  what  he  had  to  talk 
about.  He  himself  was  the  best  illustration  of  it  and 
the  young  men — as  you  have  heard  to-day — whether 
the  young  men  of  the  schools  or  the  young  men  of 
the  shops,  with  their  tense  life — they  could  not  but 
listen  to  such  a  message  as  that.  Tliere  is  no  mys- 
tery about  it.  It  was  simply  the  power  of  a  man  pos- 
sessetl  with  the  life  of  God. 

"  And  he  came  with  a  message  of  joy  as  well  as  a 
message  of  life.  Young  men  don't  care  for  dirges 
and  they  don't  care  for  moans  but  they  love  to  sing 
the  song  of  him  who  triumphs  and  that  was  always 
the  message  of  Hugh  Beaver's  words  and  of  his  life  : 
'  This  is  the  victory  which  overcometh  the  world — 
our  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord.'  Ah!  many  a 
man  through  long  years  yet  to  come  shall  be  lured  by 
the  heavenly  hope  that  he  may  be  as  good  a  man  as 
Hugh  Beaver. 

"Those  last  weeks  that  he  spent  here  on  earth 
were  spent  just  as  he  would  have  wished  them.  In 
that  New  England  village  that  was  very  dear  to  his 
heart,  in  an  atmosphere  all  alive  with  faith  and  hope 
and  zeal  and  love,  he  sat  at  the  feet  of  the  Teacher 
who  was  dear  to  him,  and  he  himself  was  permitted 
to  teach  many,  some  of  whom  had  not  yet  learned  to 
love  his  Master ;  and,  as  with  generous  hand  he 
broke  to  them  the  bread  of  life,  his  own  soul  was  fed. 
'  Never  again,'  he  said,  '  Never  again,  shall  I  be  the 
man  I  was.'  He  saw  that  there  was  a  high  plane  still 
above  him  that  he  had  begun  to  press  with  his  feet. 
And  then  the  home  coming.  Only  a  few  days  here. 
Every  morning  of  every  day  spent  in  studying  the 
life  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  he  might  use  it,  you  say, . 
in  the  work  that  he  was  called  to?  Ah!  that  he 
289 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

might  use  it  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  own  soul.  I  am 
permitted  to  read  two  of  the  prayers  that  he  wrote  at 
the  close  of  these  daily  studies.  This  one  was  writ- 
ten last  Tuesday  on  the  opening  verses  of  our  Lord's 
life  in  the  Gospel  of  Luke:  'We  thank  Thee  for  a 
Gospel  that  brings  good  tidings  to  the  outcast,  that 
gives  us  full  knowledge  of  the  certainty  of  these 
blessed  truths.  Grant  that  it  may  have  a  greater 
place  in  our  lives  and  that  He  who  is  the  way  and 
the  truth  may  become  more  and  more  to  us  through 
the  study  of  His  life.'  And  here  are  the  last  words 
in  all  probability  that  he  ever  wrote.  Last  Wednes- 
day at  the  close  of  that  morning's  study  (he  was 
taken  ill  you  know  on  Wednesday  night  after  prayer- 
meeting)  :  '  We  rejoice,'  he  says,  '  we  rejoice,  our 
Father,  that  we  know  Him  to  be  Thy  Son,  and  in 
and  through  Him  we  have  eternal  life.  Help  us  to 
live  more  fully  in  His  life,  hid  with  Him  in  Thee. 
We  have  great  boldness,  because  we  ask  it  "  In  His 
Name."  '  Already  he  was  climbing  the  heights,  and 
suddenly  there  broke  upon  his  vision  the  gates  of 
pearl  and  the  streets  of  gold. 

"  Oh  happy  Home  !  oh  happy  children  there  ! 
Oh  blissful  mansions  of  our  Father's  House ! 
Oh  walks  surpassing  Eden  for  delight ! 
There  are  the  harvests  reaped — once  sown  in  tears — 
There  is  the  rest  by  ministry  enhanced  ; 
Crowns,  amaranthan  crowns  of  victory; 
The  voice  of  harpers  harping  on  their  harps ; 
The  crystal  river  of  the  spirit's  joy ; 
The  bridal  palace  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  4 
The  Holiest  of  Holies— God  is  there," 

and  he  is  there. 

"To  us  Christians  here  to-day,  I  am  sure  that  the 
message  that  comes  from  Hugh  Beaver's  life  is  like  a 
290 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

trumpet  call.  Let  us  close  up  the  ranks.  Let  us 
press  more  earnestly  on  ;  let  us  strive  to  be  as  de- 
voted, as  whole-hearted  as  he  was.  And  to  you,  his 
townsmen  of  Bellefonte,  to  you,  strong  young  men — 
strong  some  of  you  in  your  appetites  and  your  evil 
desires — to  you  who  stand  just  on  the  threshold  of 
the  Christian  life  but  never  yet  have  entered,  surely 
you  cannot  close  your  ears  to  this  voice  that  comes 
ringing  across  tlie  ages,  that  beats  upon  your  ears  and 
upon  your  hearts,  '  Let  this  Christ  be  your  Christ. 
Follow  this  man  whom  you  revere  and  whom  you 
love,  as  he  followed  Christ.'  " 

Frederick  Denison  Maurice  points  out  in  the 
Gospel  of  Luke  the  enlarging  circles  of  the  in- 
fluence of  Jesus, — household,  family,  Nazareth, 
Galilee,  the  whole  nation,  the  world.  A  true  and 
normal  life  should  develop  ever  thus  and  can 
scarcely  be  worthy  of  wider  influence  if  not  true 
to  the  opportunities  of  the  smaller  sphere.  Hugh 
Beaver  did  not  leap  into  a  public  influence  over 
strangers  without  commanding  the  loving  con- 
fidence of  those  closest  to  him  who  knew  him 
best.  He  made  himself  the  joy  of  his  own  home, 
and  he  was  loved  nowhere  more  than  in  his  own 
town,  one  of  whose  leading  lawyers  with  a  wise 
and  discerning  estimate  of  values  in  character 
and  service  spoke  of  him  in  a  memorial  service 
as  "our  most  distinguished  citizen."  On  the 
day  of  his  funeral  a  stranger  asked  a  man  at  the 
railway  station    the   way  to    General    Beaver's 

291 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

house.  "Oh!"  said  the  man,  his  hat  off  and 
tears  running  down  his  face,  "you  have  come  to 
Hugh's  funeral.  He  led  me  to  Christ."  Another 
shabby  and  sometimes  ill-doing  man  exclaimed, 
"No  matter  what  Ive  been,  no  matter  what  I 
am,  Hugh  Beaver  was  never  yet  ashamed  to  put 
his  arm  in  mine  and  walk  down  the  street  with 
me."  And  the  Democratic  Watchman,  one  of 
the  local  papers  said  on  the  week  of  his  funeral: 

"Hugh  McAllister  Beaver,  unselfish  as  a  child, 
honest  as  a  boy,  intrepid  as  a  youth,  noble  as  a  man,  , 
lives  to-day  only  in  the  memory  of  those  who  loved 
and  revered  him.  His  short  life,  so  full  of  joyfulness 
and  eager  efforts  for  his  Master's  cause,  must  indeed 
have  been  cherished  in  heaven,  since  it  was  left  for 
mortals  to  profit  by  so  small  a  portion  of  it. 

"  No  stone-cut  epitaph  need  there  be  to  speak  to  men 
of  that  sweet,  pure  life;  that  daily  manifestation  of  full 
communion  with  Christ  that  made  him  the  ever  ten- 
der, frank,  fearless  soul ;  the  light-hearted  leader  in 
all  manly  pastimes,  the  son  whose  only  thought  was 
loving  duty.  The  world  is  better  that  Hugh  Beaver 
has  lived  in  it.  Let  it  profit  by  the  precious  heritage 
his  passing  has  left." 

The  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  of  Bellefonte,  Mr.  F.  H.  Cota,  bears 
testimony  to  his  earnest,  fresh,  winning  help 
there: 

"  His  first  active  Christian  work  was  in  the  Belle- 
fonte Association,  during  a  week  of  special  meetings  for 
292 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

young  men,  in  February,  1894.  His  special  forte  at 
that  time  was  in  getting  men  to  attend  the  meeting. 
There  was  a  magnetism  about  him,  tliat  impelled 
men  to  go  with  him  to  the  meeting.  Some  personal 
work  was  done  which  resulted  in  men  accepting 
Christ.  At  the  close  of  the  week's  meetings,  which 
was  on  Sabbath  afternoon,  his  first  public  testimony  was 
given.  We  do  not  recall  the  exact  words  used,  but 
there  seemed  to  be  a  deep  joy  in  his  soul,  because  so 
many  men  had  accepted  Christ ;  that  he  also  made  a 
deeper  consecration  of  himself  to  the  Master.  From 
that  time  his  life  was  one  of  continual  growth  in 
Christ.  It  is  something  remarkable,  the  influence  and 
power  he  had  over  the  young  men  in  his  home  town  ; 
not  so  much  the  better  class,  who  always  regarded 
him  as  an  upright  Christian  young  man  ;  but  also  the 
poorer  class  or  workingmen.  He  seemed  to  be 
drawn  toward  them,  and  they  toward  him.  When- 
ever it  was  announced  that  he  was  to  conduct  the 
men's  meeting,  there  would  always  be  a  large  attend- 
ance, and  the  simple  talk  and  prayer  was  often  the 
means  of  bringing  men  to  decide  for  Christ.  His 
efforts  were  not  confined  to  inside  work,  but  upon  the 
street  he  was  ever  on  the  lookout  to  help  some  one. 
On  one  occasion,  (it  was  at  night)  his  attention  was 
drawn  toward  a  crowd  of  men  ;  and  learning  that  two 
young  men  were  fighting,  he  broke  through  the 
crowd,  separated  the  men,  and  took  one  away  with 
him.  Many  remarked  on  the  courage  he  showed  in 
doing  such  an  act ;  and  commended  him  for  the 
same.  He  was  a  favorite  with  the  little  boys  on  the 
street ;  always  giving  them  a  kind  word  and  pleasant 
smile. 

"Upon  one  occasion  he  was  asked  to  contribute  to 
Christian  work,  when  his  reply  was,  '  I  must  first  find 
293 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

out  what  the  Lord  wants  me  to  give.'  It  is  known 
that  he  responded  very  liberally  for  the  object  speci- 
fied in  the  request.  This  little  act  made  a  deep  im- 
pression upon  a  number  of  young  men  who  knew  of 
the  circumstance.  It  showed  that  in  all  his  gifts  to 
Christian  work  he  made  it  a  subject  of  prayer." 

In  his  own  town  he  just  won  his  way  in  his 
merry,  helpful  fashion  into  every  heart  that  was 
open.  An  older  woman  writes  in  illustration  of 
his  knightly,  considerate  friendship: 

"  As  a  boy  I  did  not  see  much  of  him,  but  in 
some  unconscious  way  we  grew  to  be  very  fast  friends, 
and  the  memories  connected  with  the  friendship  and 
confidence  of  such  a  young  man  are  very  tender  and 
precious  to  one  in  older  life.  As  they  come  throng- 
ing into  the  mind  it  is  hard,  so  very  hard  to  realize 
that  the  springing  step,  the  bright  eye,  the  lovely 
smile  and  warm  grasp  of  the  hand  are  to  come  no 
more,  and  the  heart  aches  as  the  thought  rises  that 
the  vacant  place  cannot  be  filled,  for  such  friendships 
as  that  between  Hugh  and  myself  are  rare.  He  came 
and  went  so  freely  in  our  home  that  it  seems  it  must 
surely  be  he  is  only  away  for  a  little  while  soon  to 
come  again.  Often  he  would  leave  a  group  of  young 
people  for  a  quiet  talk  with  me,  telling  of  his  beloved 
work,  doubts  and  difficulties  as  to  plans  for  the 
future,  etc.  Then  that  last  coming,  how  vividly  it 
is  before  me,  his  running  in  on  the  way  home  from 
the  train,  his  face  radiant  as  he  told  of  the  glorious 
work  at  Northfield — who  could  think  there  were  only 
a  few  more  days  we  might  have  him  with  us,  only  a 
few  more  days  for  tlie  dear  boy  to  work  on  earth  for 
294 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

his  beloved  Lord.  Most  gladly  and  lovingly  do  I 
bear  testimony  to  this  lovely  life  here  among  us  who 
knew  and  loved  him  well.  Surely  the  influence  of  that 
life  only  eternity  can  unfold.  As  to  incidents  showing 
characteristics  and  peculiarities,  I  feel  at  a  loss. 
That  of  the  clock  shows  his  delight  to  tease,  not 
sparing  his  older  friends.  The  clock  was  not  the 
big  one  on  the  stair,  but  a  smaller  one  with  a  shrill 
piercing  stroke.  Something  had  gone  wrong  with  the 
striking  part  and  it  was  not  to  be  wound  on  that  side. 
This  Hugh  had  found  out  and  the  result  was  that  as  I 
lay  awake  one  night  in  the  '  wee  sma'  hours '  I 
counted  over  one  hundred  strokes  ;  tlie  hope  was  it 
would  soon  run  itself  out.  This  spirit  of  boyish  fun 
mingled  with  true  manly  Christian  life  was  peculiarly 
attractive.  Some  lines  of  James  Whitcomb  Riley's 
seem  to  me  just  to  describe  my  feeling  to  him  now  : 

" « I  cannot  say,  and  I  will  not  say, 
That  he  is  dead,  he  is  just  away. 

" « With  a  cheery  smile,  and  a  wave  of  the  hand 
He  has  wandered  into  an  unknown  land 

"'And  left  us  dreaming  how  very  fair 
It  needs  must  be  since  he  lingers  there. 

"•And  you,  oh  you  who  the  wildest  yearn 
For  the  old  time  step  and  the  glad  return 

"'Think  of  him  faring  on,  as  dear 

For  the  love  of  There  as  the  love  of  Here.'  " 

And  a  poorer  boy  whose  love  Hugh  had  won 
wrote  modestly: 

295 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

"  I  did  not  know  Hugh  as  intimately  as  many  of 
his  friends  did,  yet  the  influence  he  exerted  on  my 
life  would  be  hard  to  estimate.  His  daily  life  and 
his  talks  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Endeavor  have  helped 
me  many  times  to  live  nearer  to  Christ.  It  seems  to 
me  that  while  those  nearest  him  were  helped  the 
most,  yet  his  greatest  glory  will  be  that  no  one  ever 
came  in  contact  with  him  without  being  better  for  it." 

To  these  may  be  added  the  testimony  of 
Hugh's  pastor  in  Harrisburg,  the  Rev.  Dr.  George 
S.  Chambers: 

"What  a  strange  Providence  it  is.  'His  sun  has 
gone  down  while  it  is  day.'  A  life  full  of  beautiful 
promise  has  ended  its  earthly  course,  and  begun  its 
lieavenly  fruition.  But  it  was  more  than  a  life  of 
promise.  By  God's  grace  it  had  become  a  life  of 
achievement  and  realization.  Hugh  was  an  illus- 
tration of  a  young  manhood  beautified,  ennobled  and 
made  grandly  useful  by  consecration  to  the  living  and 
loving  Lord.  In  an  age  of  ambitious  manhood,  when 
so  many  are  seeking  the  success  of  wealth  and 
station,  lie  exemplified  the  ambitions  of  the  Christian 
as  these  reached  after  likeness  to  Jesus  Christ  and 
service  for  Him  in  work  for  young  men.  Hugh  had 
special  qualifications  for  this  service.  Gentleness  and 
strength  were  united  in  him.  A  winsomeness  of 
manner  which  was  free  from  all  that  was  artificial 
and  impressed  the  beholder  with  its  simple  natural- 
ness, his  unaffected  piety  which  never  degenerated 
into  cant,  his  knowledge  and  love  of  God's  Word, 
his  sympathy  with  young  men  as  one  of  them — all 
contributed  to  his  attractiveness  and  usefulness  as  a 
servant  of  Jesus  Christ.  .  .  . 
296 


"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes " 

"  Our  Heavenly  Father  lias  many  j^urposes  to  ful- 
fill in  such  an  event.  These  will  l)e  revealed  as  the 
years  pass  by,  but  already  this  lesson  shines  out 
brightly  and  beautifully  that  there  is  nothing  in  this 
world  more  attractive  and  useful  than  a  consecrated 
young  manhood." 

Having  been  faithful  in  less  God  gave  him  op- 
portunities for  more,  and  his  influence  reached 
out  through  the  whole  extent  of  his  dearly  loved 
state.  As  the  wise  and  loving  pastor  of  a  college- 
town  church  writes: 

"  He  was  enthroned  in  the  regard  and  affection  of 
thousands  and  thousands  of  God's  dear  people,  old 
and  young,  and  especially  in  our  beloved  Common- 
wealth. His  record  is  exceptional  in  its  power  and 
his  character  a  rare  one  in  its  beauty  and  symmetry 
and  sincerity. 

"2d  Kings,  iv.  9.  '  I  perceive  that  this  is  an 
Jioly  man  of  God  that  passeth  by  us  continually.' 
These  words  define  his  character,  his  influence  and 
his  method  of  testimony  and  service. 

"'An  holy  man  of  God.'  *I  perceive' — (This 
woman  was  reading  off  from  her  own  mind  and  heart 
the  impression  which  was  made  upon  her) — 'which 
passeth  by  us  continually,'  the  daily  life,  going  and 
coming,  day  by  day — on  and  on. 

"  This  was  Hugh  McAllister  Beaver y 

After  his  death  Captain  Pratt  telegraphed  in 
behalf  of  the  Indians  in  the  Carlisle  school,  that 
they  had  counselled  together  and  must  express 
their  deepest  sympathy  in  a  sorrow  which  was 

297 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

theirs  as  much  as  it  was  the  sorrow  of  Hugh's 
own.  And  from  students  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  Lafayette,  Dickinson  and  other 
colleges  and  from  presidents  of  the  state's  largest 
Normal  Schools  and  others  came  these  testi- 
monies: 

"  A  sweet,  lovable  boy,  my  heart  went  out  to  him 
at  once.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  about  him,  but  I 
simply  want  to  say  that  I  loved  him  and  that  is  what 
a  man  does  not  often  say  of  another.  He  was  a 
blessing  to  every  college  man  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact — a  striking  illustration  of  the  power  of  a 
magnetic  personality,  when  filled  with  the  Spirit  of 
God.  Our  Association  felt  his  influence  as  did  my 
own  life.  Although  several  years  his  senior,  I  looked 
up  to  him,  and  his  life  was  an  example  and  inspiration 
whose  influence  will  always  remain." 

"He  was  an  inspiration  to  me;  and  his  life,  al- 
though he  was  much  younger  than  I,  had  a  vast  in- 
fluence over  mine,  leading  me  to  be  more  thoughtful 
and  sincere  in  my  devotion  to  the  principles  of 
righteousness  and  truth.  ...  I  remember  as  well 
as  if  it  had  been  to-day  the  last  time  I  heard 
his  voice  in  our  Y.  M.  C.  A.  room  as  he  stood 
before  a  company  of  young  men  pleading  for 
them  to  devote  their  lives  to  God — his  face  full 
of  intense  love  for  the  fellows,  his  eyes  filled  with 
tears  of  affection.  He  was  influential  in  changing  the 
course  of  many  lives." 

"  His  pure,  good   life  made  me  desire  to  be  like 
the  Christ  whom  he  so  desired  to  honor.     Since  our 
298 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

first  meeting  I  liave  been  a  better  man  for  knowing 
him." 

"When  I  came  to  Lafayette  the  name  of  Hugh 
Beaver  was  a  synonym  for  the  ideal  Christian  college 
man.  The  college  men  of  Pennsylvania  had  become 
deeply  attached  to  his  pure,  Christlike  life." 

"  I  will  never  forget  his  address  to  the  students,  so 
direct  and  so  full  of  earnestness.  The  Holy  Spirit 
was  certainly  with  him,  else  he  could  never  have 
spoken  as  he  did,  for  it  seemed  as  though  there  was 
something  more  than  human  looking  out  from  his  eyes 
as  he  spoke  on  '  Enduring  Hardships  for  Christ.'  " 

"  It  is  but  a  few  weeks  since  the  school  here  en- 
joyed an  address  by  him  on  Sunday  evening,  and  it 
made  a  very  deep  impression.  One  of  our  teachers 
said  afterward  that  he  thought  it  was  the  most  im- 
pressive address  he  had  ever  heard.  He  won  a  warm 
place  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  cooperated  with  him 
here.  His  was  a  spirit  ready  to  enter  upon  the 
higher  life.     '  His  works  do  follow  him.'  " 

An  agnostic  student,  who  was  sure  that  he 
could  not  be  sure  of  the  things  which  Hugh 
knew,  wrote  of  being  sure  of  one  thing,  that  he 
"really  loved"  Hugh. 

It  would  be  wrong  to  suppose  that  there  was 
anything  weak  or  yielding  about  Hugh  because 
so  many  spoke  of  loving  him.  He  had  the  most 
positive  convictions  on  politics,  on  all  public 
questions  and  most  of  all  regarding  the  foun- 
dation  principles  of  Christianity.     He  was  not 

299 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

acquainted  with  systematic  theology  but  he  was 
working  out  his  own  opinions  from  the  impulse, 
not  of  desire  for  intellectual  satisfaction,  but  of  a 
passion  for  souls  like  His  who  hungered  for  them 
and  who  made  it  His  meat  and  drink  to  win 
them.  Hugh  won  men's  love  by  the  strength  of 
his  love  for  them  and  interest  in  them  and  in  all 
that  is  wholesome  and  true.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  League  of  American  Wheelmen  and  the 
Pennsylvania  Division,  in  session  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  made  earnest  recognition  of  its  loss. 
How  firmly  he  laid  hold  on  all  classes  of  men  in 
the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  was  shown 
by  the  brief  memorial  service  at  the  State  Con- 
vention of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  after  his  death.  Mr. 
Charles  E.  Hurlburt,  who  was  conducting  the 
meeting,  said: 

"  I  know  of  no  life — in  the  twelve  years  that  it 
pleased  the  Lord  to  keep  me  in  the  organized  work 
of  the  Young  Men's  Cliristian  Association,  in  the  four 
different  cities  where  I  worked,  or  the  many  others 
that  I  visited — I  know  of  no  Hfe  that  exemplified  so 
rarely  the  words  of  the  hymn  that  we  have  been  sing- 
ing, as  that  of  Hugh  13eaver.  I  lived  across  the 
street  from  him  for  two  years.  I  saw  him  in  the 
college,  I  saw  him  when  he  came  home  for  the 
vacation  seasons.  And  while  many  of  us  thought 
tliat  we  needed  rest,  and  that  he  needed  rest,  he 
seemed  to  find  it  in  doing  the  will  of  his  Father. 
There  was  no  great  duty  about  it  for  him.  It  was  the 
natural  thing  of  his  life.  We  walked  along  the 
300 


"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes " 

street,  going  to  the  Gospel  meeting  on  Sunday  after- 
noons, and  it  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  him 
run  across  the  street  and  take  by  the  hand  some  poor 
fellow,  in  his  working  clothes,  and  talking  with  him 
with  all  the  enthusiasm  and  earnestness  of  an  old 
friend,  walk  him  up  to  the  meeting  and  sit  down  be- 
side him.  I  shall  never  forget  the  Presidents'  Con- 
ference at  State  College,  when  Mr.  Mott  was  leading 
the  meeting,  and  one  of  the  men  on  the  football  team 
sat  near  the  front.  Hugh  sat  beside  him  ;  and  while 
the  Gospel  message  was  being  presented,  Hugh  just 
kept  tapping,  tapping  on  his  hand,  until  the 
fellow  rose  and  said:  '  I  want  to  be  a  Christian.' 
And  then  Hugh,  manly  fellow  as  you  and  I  know 
him  to  have  been,  burst  into  tears,  for  he  had  been 
praying  for  months  that  this  fellow  might  know 
Christ — the  longings  of  a  life  that  was  doing,  from 
day  to  day,  what  God  wanted  him  to  do — his  mind, 
his  thought  centred  in  '  What  would  Jesus  do  now  ?  ' 
and  doing  that  thing  as  the  natural  work  of  his  life. 

"You  know  the  power  of  that  life.  You  who  are 
college  men  know  how  he  couldn't  come  to  the  col- 
lege without  stirring  in  your  hearts  a  great  desire  to 
be  like  Christ.  And  you  said  of  him,  as  it  is  re- 
corded of  Enoch,  'He  walked  with  God.'  He,  like 
Moses,  lived  and  '  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  in- 
visible.' Jesus  Christ  was  real  to  him,  because  he 
surrendered  the  things  in  his  life  that  would  hide  the 
face  of  his  Lord,  and  turned  them  aside,  in  order 
that  Christ  might  be  the  greatest  reality  of  his  life." 

Another  Delegate  : 

"  I  want  to  speak  of  the  love  that  the  rail- 
road men  had   for  Hugh  Beaver.     He  didn't  belong 
to  the  college  men.     He  was  too  big  a  man  to  belong 
301 


A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

to  any  set  of  men.  He  belonged  to  every  man  who 
knew  him.  A  short  time  before  he  died,  he  did 
some  work  among  the  D.  L.  and  W.  men,  and  those 
who  knew  him  learned  to  love  him  with  a  very  sin- 
cere affection  indeed.  He  had  the  gentleness  of  a 
woman  and  the  strength  of  a  strong  man  combined. 
And  I  want  to  say  that,  never  in  the  life  of  any  man 
have  I  felt  the  Christ-life  breathed  out  as  I  did  in  the 
life  of  Hugh  Beaver." 

Delegate  : 

"  Many  of  us  who  attended  the  Conven- 
tion at  Erie,  a  little  while  ago,  will  not  forget  Hugh 
Beaver.  I  shall  never  forget  how,  coming  down  over 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie,  I  happened  to  start  that 
good  old  hymn,  '  Where  He  leads  me,  I  will  follow,' 
and  several  times  coming  down  the  road,  he  would  say, 
'  Start  that  hymn  again.'  I  don't  think  he  wanted  to 
sing  it  just  because  of  the  peculiar  sweetness  of  the 
tune,  but  because  he  wanted  that  to  be  the  keynote  of 
his  life — '  Where  He  leads  me,  I  will  follow.'  " 

Delegate  : 

"  I  shall  not  forget  that  same  trip  and  that 
same  picture.  Whenever  a  station  was  called,  and 
delegates  were  getting  off  the  train,  Hugh  would  have 
us  get  out  and  sing,  '  God  be  with  you  till  we  meet 
again.'  And  he  didn't  just  sing  it,  but  he  would 
have  the  delegates  stand  around  and  put  their  hands 
on  one  another's  shoulders,  and  sing,  with  the  one 
who  was  to  leave  in  the  centre,  '  God  be  with  you 
till  we  meet  again.'  I  learned  many  lessons  from 
him,  and  one  of  them  was  this :  To  feel  that  I  am 
doing  the  Master's  will  when  I  am  trying  to  do  some- 
thing for  some  one  else." 

302 


"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

Delegate  : 

"  He  wrote  to  a  sick  friend  of  mine,  '  I  tell 
you  what  it  is  my  brother,  I  sometimes  think,  wlien 
our  friends  are  passing  to  the  Homeland,  I'm  a  little 
homesick  to  be  there  too.'  It  was  this  that  filled  the 
life  of  our  beloved  brother,  Hugh  Beaver — full  of  love 
for  men  and  love  to  God.  He  was  so  filled  with 
Christ  that  to  be  on  earth  was  a  great  thing,  but  to  be 
in  Heaven  was  more  natural.     God  called  him." 

Delegate  : 

"  I  don't  suppose  there  is  a  man  here  that 
has  had  the  close  relations  with  Hugh  Beaver  that  it 
has  been  my  privilege  to  have  in  the  four  years  before 
his  death.  He  spent  his  vacations  at  home,  prin- 
cipally, and  every  afternoon  he  used  to  come  around 
to  the  Association  Room,  and  say,  '  Cota,  let's  take  a 
walk.'  And  so  it  has  been  day  after  day.  We  would 
go  into  the  country,  four  or  five  miles,  and  it  did 
seem  as  if  it  was  like  the  two  disciples  on  their  way 
to  Emmaus,  and  Jesus  was  with  us.  His  life,  men, 
has  been  a  great  benediction  and  blessing  to  me  in 
my  work  for  young  men." 

Delegate  : 

"  I  just  want  to  say  that  the  shadow  of  sor- 
row fell  very  heavily  on  Lincoln  when  we  heard  of 
the  death  of  this  our  beloved  brother.  I  remember 
well  his  last  visit  to  us,  and  many  were  the  lessons 
that  were  stamped  upon  my  heart,  that  shall  never  be 
forgotten.  But  the  greatest  lesson  taught  me  by  his 
life  is  that  in  this  man  I  have  seen  the  possibility  of 
a  young  man  living  the  Christlike  life.  And  as  I 
looked  at  that  text  on  the  wall,  I  was  impressed  how 
true  it  was  of  his  life,— '  They  that  turn  many  to 
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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

righteousness  shall  shine  as  the  stars  forever,'  and  if 
anybody  did  this,  this  man  did." 

Mr.  Bard: 

"I  should  like  to  say  very  many  things 
about  Hugh's  life  had  we  the  time.  Some  of  you 
have  called  him  '  the  boy  ' ;  others  '  the  young  man  ' ; 
'the  young  fellow,'  'the  man,'  '  Beaver,'— various 
terms  that  show  your  familiarity  with  him,  and  your 
conception  of  his  life.  He  was  but  a  boy ;  he  was 
only  twenty-four  years  of  age  when  the  Lord  called 
him  to  his  reward  ;  but  in  the  two  years  that  he  gave 
himself  definitely  to  Christian  work,  he  wrought  mar- 
vels through  the  power  that  was  in  him,  not  of  him- 
self. Your  testimony  is  proof  of  that  which  was  true 
of  him  to  a  remarkable  degree.  He  was  a  railroader, 
or  college  man,  or  a  soldier  with  the  boys  in  camp, 
or  a  civilian  with  the  boys  in  the  Association.  That 
was  a  peculiar  gift  that  Hugh  had.  He  could  be  '  all 
things  to  all  men,'  that  he  might  '  by  all  means  save 
some.'  That  was  one  secret  of  his  peculiar  power; 
his  prayer  life  was  another.  Hugh  didn't  go  to  his 
knees  or  have  to  take  any  particular  attitude  in 
prayer;  it  was  as  natural  for  him  to  talk  with  God 
standing,  or  sitting,  or  reclining,  or  kneeling,  or 
lying  down,  or  in  any  position,  as  it  would  be  for 
you  to  converse  with  your  dearest  friend.  It  was 
very  apparent  that  his  life  was  a  life  of  constant  con- 
tact with  his  dear  Lord.  Mr.  Moody  asked  him  to 
come  to  Mount  Hermon  as  one  of  the  teachers  in  his 
school — a  very  flattering  offer.  Some  one  raised  the 
question  of  his  fitness  for  the  place,  his  extreme  youth 
and  inexperience  being  against  him.  Mr.  Moody  is 
said  to  have  replied  :  '  A  man  who  can  pray  like  Hugh 
Beaver  can  do  anything.'  Isn't  it  true,  fellows,  that 
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"  The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes " 

as  we  have  turned  our  gaze  toward  Hugh's  life  this 
morning,  that  our  vision  has  really  focused  beyond 
him,  upon  Jesus  Christ  ?  And  shall  we  not  learn 
this  lesson  from  his  life :  That  we  should  so  live  that 
men,  as  they  look  upon  our  lives,  shall,  after  all, 
have  their  visions  converge  and  focus  beyond  us, 
upon  the  Son  of  God,  who  gave  Himself  to  die,  that 
we  and  the  lost  men  about  us  might  live?  " 

A  judge  wrote  from  the  western  part  of  the 
state,  "We  all  loved  Hugh.  He  was  such  a 
noble  young  man.  He  had  a  strong,  active 
mind  and  brave  heart.  He  was  honest,  frank, 
manly  and  kind,  and  his  death  leaves  the  world 
and  mankind  poorer."  And  an  editor  wrote 
from  the  eastern  end  of  the  state,  "We  loved 
him  as  a  son  and  admired  him  as  a  man  and 
Christian.  He  always  shed  sunshine."  A  col- 
lege professor  adds,  "Without  hesitation  I  re- 
peatedly say  that  he  was  the  most  Christlike  char- 
acter I  ever  knew  intimately.  He  seemed  to  live 
continually  in  the  presence  of  the  divine  One  and 
every  time  it  was  my  honor  to  come  in  contact 
with  him,  I  felt  a  greater  nearness  to  our  Master. 
.  .  .  One  of  the  last  things  I  remember  his  say- 
ing to  me  as  we  returned  from  a  little  walk  that 
he  took  while  I  studied  my  Bible  lesson  was,  '  I 
have  just  been  out  with  a  very  dear  Friend  of 
mine.'  He  had  sauntered  across  the  campus  of 
our  school  with  his  Testament  in  hand  and  had 

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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

been  in  prayer."  And  a  paper  called  Our  Young 
Men,  published  in  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  said, 
"  How  we  shall  all  miss  his  outshining  face,  his 
clear,  intense  voice,  and  the  touch  of  his  surren- 
dered life,  as  we  met  him  from  time  to  time." 

It  were  idle  to  inquire  as  to  what  Hugh  Beaver 
might  have  accomplished  had  he  been  allowed  to 
work  on  in  the  world.  He  did  all  God  had  for 
him  to  do  here.  No  man  can  do  more.  Like 
his  Master  he  finished  the  work  the  Father  had 
given  him  to  do.  He  not  only  ended  it.  He 
finished  it.  It  was  done  completely.  He  could 
go  home  to  the  larger  service  of  the  city  that  lies 
above  the  fogs  and  mists  and  clouds  of  earth, 
where  the  servants  of  the  King  come  in  but  go 
no  more  out  forever  and  where  they  see  the 
King's  face  and  serve  Him.  As  Mr.  Wanamaker 
said  of  his  going,  "  Great  as  is  the  loss  of  service 
to  the  Church  and  the  country,  much  greater  is 
the  blessing  that  has  come  to  the  garnered  and 
glorified  life."  But  after  all,  there  is  no  loss.  As 
one  of  the  foremost  of  the  younger  Christian 
leaders  of  our  day  writes: 

"It  does  not  seem  possible  that  he  has  gone  out 
from  among  us — and  he  has  not.  He  will  be  a  more 
intimately  nigh  and  a  more  potent  factor  in  our  lives 
than  ever.  He  will  live  a  wonderful  life  in  our  col- 
leges next  year  and  in  the  lives  of  all  who  knew  him 
during  the  years  to  come.  The  more  I  tliink  upon  it 
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"The  Fair,  Sweet  Morn  Awakes" 

the  more  strongly  tlie  renection  takes  shape  in  my 
mind  that  from  an  earthly  point  of  view  even  (and 
surely  from  God's  view-point)  Hugh's  life  was  a 
finished  life.  I  mean  finished  more  in  the  sense  of  a 
complete  life.  It  was  full-orbed.  My  life  seems  like 
patchwork,  when  I  think  of  the  beautiful  symmetry 
of  his.  He  left  just  such  a  spiritual  record  and  in- 
fluence in  his  own  college  as  every  Christian  student 
will  wish  to  have  left,  when  he  catches  the  perspec- 
tive of  eternity.  May  God  help  me  to  be  true  to  the 
ideal  which  his  life  has  left  in  my  memory  !  " 

It  has  been  proposed  to  erect  a  building  for  the 
uses  of  the  religious  life  of  the  students  of  Lin- 
coln University,  an  institution  for  the  higher  edu- 
cation of  young  men  of  the  negro  race,  in  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania,  as  a  memorial  to  Hugh 
Beaver.  But  his  lasting  memorial  is  in  the  hearts 
and  lives  of  men  and  women,  college  men  and 
women,  railroad  men,  soldiers, — all  who  heard 
the  voice  of  divine  love  and  saw  the  beckoning 
of  the  divine  vision  in  him.  For  it  was  the 
Christ  lifted  up  in  him  that  drew  men  to  him. 
What  Hugh  was,  Christ  made  him.  Surely  Christ 
is  ready  to  do  the  same  work  in  us,  and  Hugh 
Beaver's  life  still  invites  men  to  let  Christ  do  in 
them  what  He  did  in  him.  As  a  young  lawyer 
writes: 

"I  want  to  tell  hoiu  much  good  Hugh  Beaver  has 
done  me.     Many  of  the  influences,   though  always 
impressed  on  me,  have  come  and  abided  with  me 
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A  Memorial  of  a  True  Life 

since  he  has  left  us  for  his  greater  sphere  of  useful- 
ness. Life  has  new  phases  now,  and  the  great  wealth 
Hugh  experienced  holds  out  inducements  beyond  my 
former  appreciation.  It  is  worth  seeking  after.  This 
thing  of  being  out  on  the  curbstone  peering  in  is  most 
unsatisfactory,  especially  when  you  know  of  the  riches 
within.  When  I  was  over  in  February  last,  we  were 
talking  of  the  possibilities  in  view,  and  I  suggested 
what  of  prominence  and  money  his  circumstances 
and  ability  offered  him  if  he  turned  his  attention  to 
professional  or  business  life.  He  replied  in  his  cheery, 
happy  way — '  Mitch,  I'm  not  laying  up  my  treasure 
here.'  My  suggestion  was  inquisitive,  though  I  had 
no  doubt  of  his  delight  in  his  work,  and  his  reply 
has  remained  with  me  to  think  on  ever  since." 

"  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  the 
earth,"  "Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God," 
these  words  of  the  Saviour's  were  favorite  verses 
of  Hugh's  and  they  were  the  principles  of  his 
life.  He  was  here  to  serve,  and  he  served  with 
hearty  good  cheer.    This  is  the  meaning  of  life. 

"  What  are  we  set  on  earth  for  ?    Say,  to  toil ; 
Nor  seek  to  leave  thy  tending  of  the  vines 
For  all  the  heat  o'  the  day,  till  it  declines, 
And  death's  mild  curfew  shall  from  work  assoil. 
God  did  anoint  thee  with  his  odorous  oil, 
To  wrestle  not  to  reign.  .  . 


"So  others  shall 
Take  patience,  labor,  to  their  heart  and  hand, 
From  thy  hand,  and  thy  heart,  and  thy  brave  cheer.' 


308 


